Fight For My Rights
by Kiki Warbler
Summary: Ted's life is suddenly turned upside down. Until he finds the one reason to fix it.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It's been ten years. Ten years since I left Mississippi, and I never thought I'd come back again. But then my mom calls and says I need to hightail it back to Clinton, because something happened. My first thought was that Mike and Brett were hurt and needed my help. She assured me that the family was okay, but that I needed to make it back and fast. So, I pulled up to the house where I spent the better part of my childhood and parked. I let myself into the house and smiled as the family dog, Carson came bounding over to me. I pet him and smiled as I stood in the grand foyer of Ted and Melanie DiBiase's house. I could hear them in the kitchen, my mom and dad, but they were talking to someone else. Someone who's voice I didn't recognize. I headed to the kitchen and called out to them before I got there.

"Mama, Dad? You here?"

"In the kitchen, Teddy."

My mom said back. I nodded and came around the corner and that's when I saw her. A woman I hadn't had contact with in four years, but a woman I came to think of fondly. Delilah Foxwood. My best friend. Lila and I had lost contact after a fight, but I knew she'd kept tabs on me, I could feel it. 

"Lila?"

"Hey Teddy. It's been a long time."

"Yes it has."

"Theodore, Delilah came over today, because she's back in town and needs to speak with you privately. She didn't have any numbers for you. Your father and I will be in the office."

My mom said. She'd never been one for tact, my mom. So, I watched as her and Senior left the kitchen, and then I went and poured myself a cup of coffee. I offered one to Lila, but she'd declined it. I pulled out the chair for her and then pushed her in, and then went and sat down in front of her.

"What are you doing here, Lila?"

"Well Teddy, something major has happened, and you need to know."

"What, are you marrying one of my brothers or something?"

And that's when she stopped short. It then hit me, she was marrying one of my brothers. I just couldn't see which one. Mike was too old for her, and he was married with two kids, which left Brett. I couldn't handle this. 

"Brett and I are in a relationship, and we love each other. We're getting married and I couldn't do that without telling you. We've been together now for almost three years. He recently asked me to marry him, and I told him I wouldn't accept without your approval."

I needed to process this. Brett was going to marry my best friend, and I couldn't let that happen. Brett had no reason to be doing this, unless he was going to try and ruin my life. Brett and I were super close, and I didn't want to lose that closeness, but he's trying to take the one constant in my life from me.

"Wow…I guess I'm just kind of shocked. I thought that you two didn't like each other."

"Well, we didn't. Then I got pregnant, and you were nowhere to be found, so he stepped in."

Pregnant. With my daughter. The most important thing in my life. Bailey. Bailey Renee Foxwood-DiBiase. And now Brett was stepping in to be my daughter's father? Absolutely not. I stood up and put my hands on the table.

"Bailey is my daughter, Lila. Not Brett's. And I will NOT let Brett come in and take over. I've been an amazing father to her! I have not disappeared! And what is this shit about you not having my cell number? You have my cell number! My cell phone number has been the same for the last four years!"

"Nobody is saying that Brett is taking over! Bailey is your daughter, yes. But where have you been? You haven't been there for her! Brett has! When she cries for daddy, Brett's there!"

"I will fight you and Brett, Lila. I will fight you so hard! I will win custody of my daughter. My name is on her birth certificate! Mine! And I take care of my own!"

I said, walking out of the house. I didn't know how to go about filing the proper papers. I didn't. All I knew was that I had to do something. I got in my car and called some people, but then I happened across this phone number I forgot I had. It was a girl that I'd met in Baltimore, Maryland. She'd do anything for me…and she did that night. She had been completely mind blowing that night, and I'd never forget the tricks she did. I dialed that number and waited as the weird ringback tones rang and I heard the soft click.

"Hello?"

"Hello darling."

"Teddy! You in Philly?"

"Of course not, but I can be. That's not what I'm calling for. But it could be. Listen Cheryl, I need your help."

"With what?"

"I need to take control of a really horrible situation. You're the only person I can think of. I don't wanna talk about it over the phone. I've got a couple days off…I can be in Wilmington in five hours."

"Works for me. Call me when you get here."

She said, hanging up. Cheryl Canton. She was a beautiful woman. Definitely not my usual type, but beautiful nonetheless. She had curves in all the right places, red hair, hazel eyes and glasses. Most people would call her fat. I'd call her curvy. I pulled out of the driveway, and thought of a million different reasons as to why this marriage between Lila and Brett was a bad idea. I couldn't find anything. Nothing. There was nothing there, besides the fact that Brett was trying to steal the reason for my existence-my daughter, the beautiful Bailey. I drove to the airport on autopilot and purchased one ticket to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I got on the plane, wondering how good of an idea this was.

**Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia International Airport**

Of course I was nervous. I hadn't seen Ted since Baltimore. Sure a few text messages here and there were par for the course with us, but I like Ted. He's actually an okay guy.

"Flight 977 from Jackson Mississippi to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is now unloading at gate 4."

That's Ted's flight. I was at the right gate, and I planted myself in a chair and waited. I wasn't planning on anything sexual from him. Not when he sounded the way he did on the phone. He was desperate, and I could tell. He came off the plane wearing crisp khaki pants and a white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He spotted me right away and walked over to me. He pulled me into a hug and smiled.

"The least judgmental person I know…"

He said. I nodded and knew he thought of me that way. I wasn't a judgmental person, but something had driven him to fly East. I took his hand and we walked all the way over to the baggage claim area. He waved me off and we headed right towards the exit. I didn't know what he wanted, but I knew it had to be important. He spotted my car immediately and chuckled. I still had the car that I'd had when I'd driven to Baltimore.

"You still have the ghetto machine?"

"My car is not ghetto, DiBiase. They don't make cars like her anymore. She's sturdy, which is good for me."

I drove a gun metal gray 2000 Saturn SL2, that depending on how the sun shone could be black, or gray. He slid effortlessly into the passenger seat and flipped through the CD book I left on the seat. He popped the mix CD I had out of the CD player and put in another one in. I knew which one it was, and I smiled.

"I'm glad to see you, Cheryl."

"It's always good to see you, Ted. To what do I owe the honor?"

"I need a favor. And I'm hoping you'll tell me yes."

"Okay, what?"

"Well, as you know…my daughter's mom is my best friend. Well, I just found out that my best friend, is marrying my brother Brett. She's threatening to take Bailey away from me. I need someone to help me keep her in my life. Cheryl, I want you to be my girlfriend."

I stopped short. We hadn't even left the parking lot yet, and he was already telling me this. But I could relate to having my children taken away. My ex-husband, Adam Copeland, had decided that I was incapable of taking care of our two daughters, Mariah and Sunshine, and took them after we divorced. I turned to look at Ted.

"This is for Bailey's sake, right?"

"Absolutely. And in turn, we could prove to Adam, that you're good with kids again. I know all about your story. I know about the ill fated marriage. You were Stephanie McMahon's right hand, and then Adam made you look bad. I don't believe a word of what he said. So please, let's do this and make Lila and Brett see that I'm not a slacker…"

And right away, I could see that he needed me. Bailey was the one thing that made him complete. I could see that. So I nodded and agreed to do it. He'd given me an impassioned speech and I was sold. I sort of wished I could have made that passionate of a plea to save my children.

"What do I have to do…"

I asked, waiting for Ted to answer as I pulled out of the parking lot and hit the highway. I could see Ted thinking about it, and waited to hear his answer. I shrugged and smiled, and didn't know just what I was getting myself in to.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When Cheryl and I got to her apartment, I realized that she lived well within her means. She'd been getting alimony checks from Adam, but they weren't enough to survive off of, so she'd gotten a job. She worked as a secretary at a law firm, and she enjoyed it. She motioned for me to sit down, and I did. She went and got me a Diet Pepsi, and then sat down across from me.

"So, how do we do this, Ted? Do we call Lila and tell her we're contesting the custody agreements? Or what?"

"First, we need to call my lawyer and keep him updated of the situation. Then we let word trickle around that we're together. The only way to do that, is to call Adam and make him aware. He knows that we're friends. He kept telling me to stay away from you, that you're crazy. I don't think you're crazy."

I don't. I just think she's lonely. She lost her job, her kids, and her boyfriend because of a bad decision. Even I knew that. I picked up the phone and dialed a phone number. I explained the situation to my attorney and friend, Shay Stone. Shay was a hell of a lawyer, and my friend Alison hooked me up with her. Shay had gotten Ali out of a lot of sticky situations, and she had recommended Shay to me when I was getting divorced. I conferred with her a bit more, then hung up. I looked at Cheryl and smiled.

"Shay is going to start the paperwork on the custody arrangements. Now it's your turn. Who's the biggest diva with the biggest mouth?"

We both knew the answer to that question. Natalya. Cheryl immediately got on the phone with Natalya and I listened to her part of the conversation. They were joking around, and then she got on with the part of the conversation I wanted to hear most.

"So, I've got a new boyfriend. Oh…well, it's Teddy DiBiase. And I need you to keep this super quiet. Okay, we've just started dating and I don't want Adam to know."

I watched her as she masterfully tiptoed through Natalya's minefield of questions. She was being a pro at this, then she turned to me and smiled. She hung up with Natalya a few minutes later and she was giddy. She knew that this plan would work.

"Okay, so, what do we do now?"

She asked. I looked over at the collection of movies she had and walked over to a shelf and picked one. I looked at it and grinned. I walked over to her and handed it over. She laughed at me and put it in the DVD player.

"Good choice, Teddy. I have popcorn with butter in the cabinet if you want it. Let me get this set up and we'll be in business."

Cheryl and I have one thing in common. Our love for raunchy stand up comedy, and Dane Cook fit's the bill perfectly. I walked into the cozy kitchen and started opening the cabinets. She had glasses and coffee mugs, plastic Tupperware cups, and just all kinds of mugs. A couple glasses in the far back corner of the cabinet had me curious, so I pulled them forward and realized they were Adam and Cheryl's wedding mugs. Cheryl made a beautiful bride and I blushed realizing that. I shoved them back in the far corner and kept exploring her cabinets. She had a mismatched casual dinner set, and some baking bowls. I moved along to the next cabinet and found snacks, some canned meals and the popcorn. I grabbed it out of the cabinet and turned to see her standing in the doorway.

"When we go to your house, does this mean I get to rummage through your personal belongings?"

She asked with a huge grin on her face. I was mortified that I'd gotten caught by her. I opened the popcorn and put it in her microwave as she reached up to get a bowl out of the cabinet. She couldn't reach it, so I reached up and got it. I handed it to her and watched as she smiled politely at me. She poured the popcorn in the bowl when it was finished and we settled in to watch Dane Cook 'Vicious Circle.'

The next morning, Cheryl had to work a half a day, so I agreed to take her into work so I could borrow her precious car. I took her to work then played a little game with myself. I wanted to see how many people would recognize me. I went to Target, got recognized there, and then to the grocery store. Not many people here called me out, which was cool. I made it out of the grocery store with minutes to spare and drove to pick her up from work. She got in the car and of course I had to check her out. She was wearing a dark grey business suit where the skirt stopped just above the knee and it revealed her tattoos. I'd forgotten about the tattoos that ran clean up her leg. They were the sexiest things in the world.

"Okay DiBiase, you can stop checking me out now."

"Sorry, so where to?"

"The nearest watering hole. I need a shot."

I chuckled, and I could tell she wasn't kidding. Lucky for her I'd bought some Jack Daniels for her and was taking her home to consume it. Best to break the news to her that we had to be on the road together tomorrow, so we can make appearances together. She got out of the car and walked into the apartment. I could tell she had a bad day. I walked in behind her and walked right to the kitchen and poured her a shot. I handed it to her and smiled.

"You need this right now."

"Thanks."

She said, shooting it back and putting the shot glass on the desk. She never looked more beautiful to me than she did right now. I needed to not focus on this woman standing in front of me, I needed to focus on the mission. Getting Bailey back.

"Cheryl, we need to get you upstairs to pack. We've got to go on the road, tomorrow."

She nodded. She was a little bit calmer now, and she seemed like she was more relaxed that she'd gotten the whiskey in her. She walked upstairs and started packing a bag. I thought she was upstairs packing a bag. She was asleep on her bed, fully clothed. I walked over to her and pulled her shoes off of her feet, and she opened her eyes. She watched me as I placed her shoes on the floor.

"Damn Ted, I'm sorry. I all of a sudden went to sleep. I promise, I'm not a lightweight. I'm just so exhausted. Let me finish packing, and then I'll be ready."

"You sleep. I can do it. What do you need?"

"Just pack everything. I'll go over it in the morning."

She said to me, falling instantly back to sleep. I found her tattered and torn suitcases in the closet and sighed. She was doing me a favor, so I figured I could do her one. I drove out to the nearest department store I could find and bought her the nicest luggage. I drove it back to her apartment and packed up her belongings. She woke up a few hours later and saw that he'd gotten her all new luggage. She came downstairs and smiled at me.

"Teddy, did you buy me new luggage?"

"I did. Your old luggage was falling apart. So I went out and bought you some more. I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all. Thank you. So, are we all packed?"

"We are. All we have to do now is head out to the airport. This is going to be good for us, Cheryl. I have that feeling."

"I do too, Teddy. I do too."

She said, sitting down next to me. I did know this was going to be good. I did. And I was hoping that things will work out for us both.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I knew going into this whole thing that our main focus was getting Bailey back, but I wasn't intending seeing Teddy be a nice guy. When I spent time with Adam on the road, I'd briefly heard he wasn't nice. But then here he was sleeping on my sofa, trying to get his daughter back. I wish I could've said that we had some kind of flirtation going, but that isn't true at all. We just kind of floated along in our different cliques. I watched as he slept further, but then he mentioned that we had to be on the road by eleven. So I padded into the kitchen, and put on a fresh pot of coffee. I went upstairs to get into the shower and dressed in jeans and a tank top that revealed my tattoos. I knew that Ted was going to ask about them. I walked back downstairs and watched as he sipped on the coffee. His eyes lit up as he watched me come downstairs.

"You look amazing."

"Thanks. You don't look bad yourself, even though you're wearing workout shorts and a t-shirt."

I said to him. He put his cup on the sink and walked over to me and then kissed me softly on the forehead. I got a thrill from my head to my toes. I smiled at him as he went and examined my tattoos. They all meant something to me, in a way. And he lifted the back of my shirt to look at the biggest one.

"The kiss was for being an amazing person, and helping me with this whole asinine project. Now, are you going to detail these for me?"

"Sure. The one on my back that you're practically molesting me to see, is of the Celestial beginnings. The one on my leg is of what I call the Eternal Awakening. The girl on there symbolizes me, and the two infants are Mariah and Sunny. And then there's the stars. The stars symbolize the importance of reaching my goals. And then there's the other one."

I said, turning around to face him, and lifting my shirt even further to show him the broken hearts and dreams I had tattooed on my stomach. He reached out to touch it, because he didn't believe it was there.

"Is that you?"

"It's me. And the clouds are my broken dreams. See the house, the stable family, the kids. Having a wonderful job. The stars are what I strive to have…"

And then he pulled my shirt down. He looked at me and shook his head. He couldn't imagine all of the pain I've gone through. Mostly being depressed about losing the girls. He couldn't fathom the pain of having someone take your children away from you. He was going through that now, though. He drug his eyes away from my tank top and looked at me.

"Your whole life is documented in your tattoos. And it's interesting to see. But now I can't stop thinking about it. So, here's what's going to happen. You're going to finish packing, and I'm going upstairs to get in the shower. We've got to hit the road."

"Yes sir."

I said, saluting him as he rubbed my arm and then he disappeared into the bathroom. I walked into the bedroom and turned on Sublime. I was singing along to 'Santeria' when Ted came out wrapped in a bath towel. Now it was my turn to stare. I couldn't believe that he was standing in my doorway. He stopped as the haze of steam that followed him out, ended.

"Okay, you can stop staring. It's a towel for heaven's sake. And besides, you've seen me naked. Cheryl, it's been four months since we've seen each other, and the tattoo on your stomach wasn't there. How recent is it?"

"About three weeks. It was a work in progress when we met. Can we not talk about it? It's my life. It's my tattoo. So, you gonna go to the airport in a bath towel?"

"No ma'am. I'm not. I'm getting dressed."

He told me. He got dressed and I walked into the bathroom to grab my necessities. My toothbrush, my toothpaste, my pore astringent and face cleaners, my makeup, and my A&D Ointment to care for my tattoo. Ted was amazed and I threw them in my new suitcase and smiled at him.

"Okay, I'm ready."

I said, knowing I was. I had my purse, and my cell phone. My cell phone charger was in my purse, so I wasn't too worried about losing that. I grabbed my suitcases and wheeled them downstairs. I put them out in the trunk of my car and smiled. This felt good to me. It had to. The chance to reaffirm my life and help Ted get his daughter back. And hell, me possibly getting to see my kids. I watched as his cell phone lit up and saw that it was his brother sending him a text message. He had the keys to my car, so I couldn't get in to retrieve it. But it was none of my business anyway. He came out a couple minutes later dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and sneakers. He walked over to me and smiled.

"You sure about this? I'm giving you time to back out."

"I'm sure about this. Let's just do this. I haven't seen Adam or the girls in close to nine months. So, it'll be good for me."

"Alright then, let's do this."

He said, getting into the drivers side. For someone who hated on my car, he loved driving it. He got in and checked his phone and saw Brett's message. He typed back something angrily and threw his phone into one of the cup holders.

"You okay?"

"No."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Not with you."

I wasn't used to his stinging remarks. So yeah, it made me a little sad when he'd commented that way to me. I looked out the window to try and keep from crying, to no avail. I felt the tears pooling in my eyes. I sniffled and then Ted looked over at me. I wiped the tears from my eyes and continued to stare straight ahead. He kept looking at me, and not paying attention to the road. Finally, he pulled over.

"Cheryl, look at me."

"I'm fine."

"Come on, look at me."

He said, pulling my chin to look at him. He could see the fear there, and I didn't want to show him that. He sighed and looked at me. I took a deep breath and sighed, knowing that he didn't mean it.

"I'm sorry."

"No Cheryl, I am. I forgot how Adam disrespected you. And I did the same thing. Brett just frustrates me sometimes. I know you're doing me a huge favor. And I know that I owe you big, but you don't deserve to be spoken to in that tone of voice."

"I know Ted. It took me back there for a moment. Suddenly I was back in the car with Adam the day before we ended our marriage."

"Tell me about it."

He said, knowing that it was going to be an interesting story. There wasn't anything to tell really, but I watched as he settled in, pulling onto the road and I sighed. I've never spoken to anyone about my relationship before, so it would be weird. But this would make us get to know each other, right?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I wanted to know how bad Adam treated her. I wanted to know why she was heartbroken. I wanted to know why she couldn't function without crying. She watched me watching her, and then she took a deep breath and started.

"I had just started on the creative side of WWE. I had met several superstars during the show and then there was Adam. He was so persuasive. I wasn't going to date anyone in WWE. We went out on a few dates, and I wrote favorably for him. I'd come up with some amazing ideas and creative trusted me enough to do it. Adam asked me to marry him while we were dating for eight months. I said yes…and it was around this time he'd had a personality change. He'd gotten quite verbally abusive by this point, saying he had no intention of marrying me…ever. He'd get physical sometimes, but I didn't think much of it. Until I'd gotten pregnant with the twins."

I hadn't realized that Mariah and Sunshine were twins. We'd gotten to the airport by this time, and we were checking in. I could tell that she was somewhere else, somewhere far away when she was telling this story. We sat down on the chairs and waited for them to call our flight numbers, when she resumed with the story.

"When I got pregnant, things changed. He was amazing again. That guy that was so amazing and sweet, and loving. I gave birth on April 10, 2007 in London, England. He wasn't even there. I found out from Jay Reso that he was too busy with several divas in a hot tub. I confronted him about it, and he denied it, saying I was crazy. That's when this whole crazy business started. Long story short, we divorced six months later, he took everything from me. My kids included. I had to move from Tampa to Delaware, and he had Stephanie fire me because apparently I just couldn't write fair scripting. So, I left and came here. And that's it."

I couldn't believe what an ass Adam was. I had to hug her. So I did. I hugged her and I apologized to her about being an ass as well. Then we talked briefly. She was more nervous about going on the road again, then she was being my fake girlfriend. I knew she'd run into Adam sooner or later, but I wanted it to be later, rather than sooner.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't have stepped in, then. I wasn't aware. We all weren't aware. I do know a couple people who'll keep an eye on you while I'm in the ring. Couple people who're friends of mine. Just so Adam stays out of your hair."

"You're great Ted, but I don't need a babysitter. If Adam says something, I can walk away from him. Thanks though."

She said to me. I was going to have Randy and John keep an eye on her anyway, just to make sure Adam doesn't get to close, especially now since Smackdown and Raw stars were mingling backstage again. We got situated on the plane and I watched her as she took her iPod out. Good that she could afford a personal music player. Which started us on a discussion about music.

"What are you listening to?"

"Rascal Flatts."

I nodded my head. Rascal Flatts was a good band. I took my iPod out too, and then she asked me the same question. I was a little embarrassed, because I was listening to a self-help guy telling me that my life was perfect.

"I'm listening to a man named Joel Osteen. He's telling me just how perfect my life is."

"Joel Osteen, he's good at what he does."

"Sure he is. I should be listening to music, but since the divorce, I couldn't do it. Music for me, especially since the divorce, has been a little emotional for me. It's been four years now, but it makes me hurt sometimes."

"I understand that. But music got me through it…so I wasn't worried about giving up. You should reaffirm your life to music, Teddy. It'll be good to you. I bet you can find more therapy in music than you can in Joel Osteen. No offense to Mr. Osteen of course."

She added with a smile. And right then, I knew she was right. Joel Osteen wasn't really helping my self-esteem, but he was good for a chuckle. So, I smiled at her and switched over to music, reminding myself that when we landed in Detroit, I was to delete him off of my iPod at all costs. I could tell that she was happy and in the zone. Focused on the song she was listening to. I tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yes Ted?"

"What are you listening to?"

"Rascal Flatts."

"No, no I know that…but which song?"

"Oh. Uhm, 'My Worst Fear' right now."

The most sensual song that Rascal Flatts has ever done. I had a beautiful woman sitting here next to me, and she was listening to the most sensual song I've heard on country music radio. It gave me a little bit of wood, and I remember thinking that she could be worth it. But I pushed that thought out of my mind. We were here to get Bailey, Mariah and Sunshine back. Not to determine our lustings. Though, her skin did feel amazing under my touch. I was just about to turn on The Misfits when I heard this beautiful woman singing, not realizing that it was Cheryl.

"You finally gave me one good reason not to hope that staying here, is my worst fear."

That line, right there suddenly gave me the courage I needed. She quieted down and then her head dropped onto my shoulder, and I didn't panic. Her eyes closed and her breathing evened out. She'd fallen asleep, even before the plane had taken off. I kissed her forehead softly and then stared straight ahead as I got mentally prepared for the Raw taping tonight. I suddenly felt my eyes growing heavier too about an hour into the flight and then I drifted off to sleep. I woke up a couple hours later to Cheryl shaking me softly. She was smiling and she looked extremely well rested.

"Come on Teddy bear, time to go to work."

She said to me, knowing that I wouldn't be all there right away. I stood up and watched as she grabbed my bags. I'd carried a bag on, knowing I'd need it. I grabbed a comb out of the carry on and ran it through my hair. Cheryl laughed at me and shook her head.

"What?"

"It's a pretty lost cause to try and comb it. No matter which way you comb it…it isn't going to work. Trust me."

She said teasingly. She then did something that shocked me. She took my hand. She kissed it softly, and then didn't let it go as we got off the plane. I couldn't deny that it felt right. Her holding my hand felt good. I gripped it harder, and we walked through the airport together. We teased and we laughed at each other. We got to baggage claim and Cheryl clammed up on me. She stiffened and she was looking straight ahead. I looked to where she was looking and that's when I saw them. Two beautiful blonde little girls who were the spitting image of Cheryl. She wiped away a tear, and then one of the girls turned around.

"Mommy!"

One of the girls said. Cheryl opened her arms and I watched as one of the blonde girls made her way into Cheryl's arms. And suddenly, it looked like Cheryl was at peace again. I watched as the other little girl made a beeline for her, and I smiled at them. Then I saw Adam standing there. I glared at him and then walked over to him.

"Is this some sort of sick joke?"

"Why do you think it is?"

"Adam, please don't let her spend time with them, and then rip them away from her. She's a good woman."

"She's crazy. And the sooner you see that, the better off we'll both be. I'm going to be keeping an eye on her with my kids."

"They're her kids too, Adam. I'll show you she's not crazy. She's a mom who loves her kids. We're going to prove that to you."

And I watched as Adam walked over to the kids and Cheryl and ended the visit. Our bags came, and I grabbed them as I watched Cheryl's heart break as the girls hugged her and walked away. She started to cry, and I was glued to my spot. I realized she didn't need me here, so I walked back over to her, and put my arms around her and pulled her to me. I couldn't let Adam hurt her any further.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"**My daughters have gotten so big."**

**I said to Ted, knowing that I'd cry about it later. Mariah and Sunny were my whole life, and I knew that seeing them again would either destroy me, or build me up. And I wasn't going to let them see me fall. Not this time. I wasn't going to let Ted see me fall either, but something told me he wouldn't let me. I watched as he watched me and he opened his arms. I immediately went into them and started crying.**

"**Shh..it's okay honey, I promise. We're going to make sure that those kids come back to you. I promise."**

**And I knew it would all be okay. Because once Ted made a promise to me, he kept it. We walked in silence to the rental car area and filled out our paperwork. I knew he was chomping at the bit to ask me, so I jumped the gun for him.**

"**Sunshine was the one who spotted me, and Mariah was the one who ran over first."**

"**They look like you."**

"**More like Adam I think, but thank you. They're so beautiful."**

**I said, knowing that we could talk for hours about our kids. I resisted the urge to ask him who Bailey looked like. I was about to, when suddenly his phone rang. I snuck a peek at it and it said 'Lila'. That was the mother of his daughter. He answered it while I dealt with the rental car place. I overheard bits of the conversation and didn't like what I'd heard.**

"**I didn't think I needed to tell you when I met someone, Lila. After all, you waited three years to tell me about you and Brett. Don't you think I wanted to keep Cheryl to myself, even just for a little while?"**

**Which was understandable. Hell, I was in on this scheme and I knew what he was talking about. But the fact that Lila had waited three years to tell Ted about her and his brother, made her someone that I instantly disliked. I wrapped up the rest of the car information and made a motion for us to walk. He took my hand and still spoke to Lila.**

"**Bailey is my daughter, and I know you're both in Detroit, so I expect to see her today. If I don't see her today, I go to the police and file kidnapping charges."**

**He said, hanging up. I watched as he got so mad he wanted to throw something. I steered him to the cars, and watched as his eyes lit up. He looked at me and hugged me. I knew he'd love it, but my credit card wouldn't love me later. For sitting there in front of us, was a 2011 canary yellow Dodge Charger. A car built for Ted. He took the keys from me and jumped into the drivers side, forgetting we had bags to put in the trunk. He got out a few seconds later, and looked at me.**

"**Did you put this on your credit card?"**

"**Yes."**

"**Shit sweetie, I'm sorry. I meant to give you mine. I was dealing with Lila and I forgot. How much was the rental?"**

"**About a hundred bucks a day. So, we better get the most use out of this car, because I can't afford to pay for it and not use it."**

**Ted smiled at me and I drove us to the hotel. I could see that Ted wasn't in a mood to talk, and I knew that he wasn't going to. But then he turned to me and smiled. He had an idea, I could see his wheels turning.**

"**Let's do something crazy."**

"**What?"**

"**I'm serious. Come on, lets do something crazy!"**

**I giggled. He'd never been this wild and crazy before, but I could tell he was serious. We were already at the hotel by this point, and we were unpacking the car. We went to check in, and we walked to the room.**

"**Like what?"**

"**I don't know. Bungee jumping, sky diving, extreme bowling, cliff diving?"**

"**Cliff diving? Seriously? No. Bungee jumping and sky diving I'd love to do. Are you sure about this Teddy?"**

**I could tell he was deadly serious about it. We finished unpacking and he was on the phone with a bungee jumping company. I was laying on the bed reading a book while he was still talking about it. Suddenly he slammed the hotel phone down and turned to look at me. I was still in the jeans and tank top I'd flown in on. **

"**Take a shower, put on something sexy and be ready in 45 minutes."**

**I nodded and followed him into the bathroom. I started taking off my clothes and that's when he stood there staring at me. He couldn't take his eyes away from me. I didn't know whether to be nervous or happy, but then something happened. He walked over to me, and kissed me. Not one of those sweet pecks he'd been giving me. One of the most passionate, steamiest, sensual kisses I'd ever had in my life. He pulled away from me and looked at me.**

"**I couldn't resist."**

"**I don't want you to resist."**

**And then he looked as if he was seeing me for the first time. He stepped back and started checking me out. I had my bra on, and jeans and that was it. I'd had no shoes on, and I don't like wearing panties, so I normally don't wear them. He motioned for me to walk over to him using the one finger motion. I padded the two steps over and he kissed me again. He led me to the bed and pushed me down softly. I lay back and watched as he climbed on top of me. He kissed my neck softly and slid his hand down my jeans. He was doing magical things with those two fingers.**

"**Oh Teddy…"**

**I breathed softly. He pulled his head back and looked at me. He shook his head and kissed me some more as I felt my jeans slide down my legs. I watched his eyes darken with the passion he had for me. He slid his pants and boxers down his legs in one swift motion. He was about to slide into me when a knock came at the door. He groaned and called out.**

"**Who is it?"**

"**It's me. I brought you a present."**

**His brother's voice came from the other side of the door. He looked at me and kissed me softly on the lips. He put his boxers and pants back on and I made my way into the bathroom. I heard Brett make his way into the room, and then Ted laugh happily. I took it that Bailey was with him. I got in the shower and relaxed. I got out a little while later, having taken care of the state as to which Teddy had put me in. I grabbed a towel and wrapped myself in it. I opened the door and stepped out, gingerly. I smiled at Ted and watched Brett's eyes.**

"**Who is this?"**

"**This is Cheryl. My girlfriend. Cheryl, this is my brother Brett. And over there in the corner, that's my beautiful daughter Bailey."**

**And right then, I knew that we weren't going bungee jumping. Not as long as Bailey was there. And I found myself kind of sad, because I was looking forward to it. Ted was watching my facial expression and walked over to me and whispered in my ear.**

"**We are going bungee jumping. And don't think for a minute I forgot where we left off…we will finish what we started."**

**He said, kissing me and handing me my bag. I took it from him and smiled, knowing he was right. He wouldn't forget.**

"**Go make yourself beautiful. We have plans, remember?"**

**He said, watching me walk into the bathroom. He wanted me to look beautiful? Great, because I was going to knock his socks off, guaranteed.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Brett showing up could be the worst thing to ever happen to me. I had Cheryl in one of the best positions ever, and then Brett and Bailey show up. I wanted to throw something, but I couldn't. I bid them a fond farewell shortly after Cheryl had come out wearing nothing but a towel. Which reminded me, the beautiful Miss Canton and I had some business to finish. I walked over to the bathroom and opened the door. There she was standing there wrapped in that same bath towel, holding a hair dryer and singing to Nirvana. She had cosmetics spread out on the sink. She turned to look at me and smiled.

"Hi Teddy."

"Hello gorgeous."

She giggled, because she knew what was going to happen. She came towards me and I picked her up and carried her to the bed. I made sure to put the do not disturb sign on the door this time, and locked it. She was laying there in that bath towel and I slid out of my jeans and boxers this time, and took my shirt off. I walked over to her and kissed her softly.

"Are you ready for me?"

I asked, knowing she would be. I slid my two fingers down in between her legs and smiled when I got the response I did. She shuddered and I could feel the wetness that was in between her legs.

"I want you, Teddy. Now."

She said to me. But I didn't want to rush it. I wanted to take it slow. I wanted to feel her love. I wanted to make sure she enjoyed it. This was all about her. I removed my fingers from between her legs and kissed a trail down her body. I placed my lips to where my fingers had been and felt her writhing in pleasure. I felt her fingers find my hair and I grinned when she moaned loudly. She couldn't stop moaning my name as I did things with my tongue that were illegal in most countries. My cell phone went off on the table and Cheryl grabbed it and threw it into the bathroom. Nothing was going to stop us from finishing what we'd started an hour ago. I moved my head and smiled when she convulsed into her first orgasm. I smiled and climbed on top of her and slid into her swiftly and deftly.

"Hold on baby, you'll enjoy this, I promise."

I said, thrusting inside her deep. I possessed her, deep, and I knew she'd love it. Hell, I loved it. Dare I admit to myself that this is where I fell for her? I didn't care at this point, I was striving for Cheryl's satisfaction. That's all I wanted at this point was her satisfaction. I focused on her yelling, and joined in on the yelling with her.

"Mmm, yeah Teddy…you know I like that."

"I know you do Cheryl, you want more, just tell me."

"Oh god, Teddy…harder."

And I went harder. I did exactly what she wanted. I knew that she was putty in my hands at this point, so I continued on. We went at it until a pounding came to my door. I didn't know who it was, and I didn't care.

"Go away! I'm busy!"

I yelled. The pounding continued, and it was ruining what a good time we were having. I stood up, unlocked the door and threw it open. I didn't care if we were both naked, I glared at the person behind the door.

"Dude, seriously?"

John Hennigan said to me. I groaned loudly and heard the bed sheets ruffle behind me. She'd crawled under the sheets and peeked out. John tried looking past me to the bed, but I wouldn't give him the chance to see her.

"What John?"

"Dude, you're naked."

"Shit, well yeah I am. Come in. I promise I won't do anything too crazy. Let me get some shorts."

I said, coming into the room and sliding into some boxers. I checked out my girl who was laying in the bed and I smiled happily. I knew that she was trying to be quiet, but it wasn't working. John noticed her laying there and smiled at her.

"Hi."

"Hello. I'm John."

"Cheryl, nice to meet you."

"Uhm, Ted. Why is there a redhead in your bed?"

I looked at him. I didn't know what to do about getting John out of the room. John was one of my best friends, but I didn't know what he wanted. I knew he'd been mentioning talking strategy for the Royal Rumble which was coming up in a few weeks. He sat down on the end of the bed and smiled at Cheryl.

"I don't think that is any of your business, John. Now, what the hell do you want?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to go out for some drinks and to pick up some women with me."

Watching John score chicks was like watching the Titanic sink. He had zero game. Women thought he was sexy, but he just couldn't follow through. He had zero confidence in himself. That's why I went with him. I scored more girls for him, then he could.

"Sorry dude, I can't. I'm a little preoccupied here at the moment. Besides, Cheryl and I have plans, and you're intruding."

"Do they include staying in bed all day with this sexy redhead?"

"That's it. Get out."

I said, shoving him towards the door. I was not going to let him anywhere near her, and it was right then I realized that I'd do anything to make sure she was okay. I was going to have him watch her backstage, but I realized that Randy was better suited for that, than Hennigan, who'd probably hit on her. I turned back to look at her and she was stretched out on the bed with a grin on her face. I walked over to the bed and lay in it with her.

"Is he always like that?"

"You'll find out that he is. But you know, we have plans. So come on. Get that sexy ass out of bed. We're going bungee jumping."

Cheryl giggled and I pulled her out of the bed and held her close to me. She kissed my nose and giggled then I kissed her. I felt myself getting hard at the sight of her and I grinned. I knew that if we didn't get out of here soon, we were gonna end up doing what John said, and staying in bed all day.

"We could stay here."

"We could. But where's the fun in that? Now, go get that sexy ass dressed. We're gonna go bungee jumping."

Cheryl kissed me deeper and then walked away. I watched her walk away and I smiled to myself. I was suddenly more emotionally invested then I wanted to be. And I was okay with that. All I knew now was that I wanted to protect Cheryl, and get Bailey back. I wouldn't let Adam hurt her. I heard the shower go on, and smiled. She'd gotten back in the shower and I sat down on the bed. I was going through my clothes when my cell phone rang. I looked at it and saw that it was Lila.

"Hey Lila."

"Ted. You have to come quick. Bailey's got a fever. I don't know if I should take her to the hospital or not."

I looked around the room and sighed. Cheryl would be getting ready for awhile, so I decided I could be quick about it, and be back before she finished getting ready. I told Lila I'd be there as soon as I could, and got dressed. I snuck out the door, feeling instantly guilty, but knowing that I had to do this. I walked the four doors down the hall and knocked on the door. I didn't know whether to stay here and support it, or walk back down to my room and wait for Cheryl. She was going to be mad as hell that I left, and I understood that. But so would she. I waited as Lila opened the door, but I then realized Bailey wasn't sick. It was a plan. I stepped inside and looked around.

"Surprise! Happy birthday!"

I shook my head and stepped inside. It was my birthday. And I didn't want to be here. I glared at Lila and sighed. I shook my head and walked out. I had to go back to Cheryl. Lila followed me out and pulled at my arm.

"You aren't staying?"

"No. I have plans. And a very beautiful woman who's waiting on me."

I said, walking back down the hall and going back to my room. Cheryl had just come out wearing tight black jeans, a white tank top and she had her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. My jaw dropped to the floor, and I knew this was going to be a long, hard day.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Wow. Words cannot describe what just happened. Here I am, standing under a hot shower cleaning myself up. He said he wanted me to look sexy, so I will. I had a tight pair of black jeans that I saved for this type of occasion. I had a low cut white tank top that I had as well. I couldn't believe that he wanted me to be sexy. Hell, I couldn't believe he wanted me, period but he did. So, I walked out of the bathroom, pulling my hair through the ponytail and watched as he closed the door.

"Where'd you go?"

"Lila set up a bogus emergency for Bailey. She was having an surprise birthday party for me."

"Your birthday is in November. How could she not know that. I'm your fake girlfriend, and I know that."

I shook my head and watched as he made his way over to me. He pulled me into his arms and I smiled as he kissed me. He had been stunned silent but I knew that he was finding my looks unbelievable.

"You ready?"

"Sure! Lets do it."

I said, taking his hand and heading out. We walked past the hotel rooms and were stopped by a couple of divas. One I used to hang out with, and the other I didn't really know all that well. Jillian Hall and Brie Bella. Brie and I were friends at one point. Until Adam got into her brain.

"There goes that crazy broad."

Brie said. That hit me hard. Brie and I were virtually inseparable the whole time we were friends. I tried not to let that get to me. Ted could tell that my personality had radically changed and he looked at Brie.

"Hey! Brie, that isn't fair. She isn't crazy. And you two were friends. Shame though, don't you think. She made a bad situation work out for her. Adam thinks she's crazy. Hell, you think she's crazy. But she's got the one thing you'll never have."

"Oh yeah, Teddy. What's that?"

"She's got me. And she'll have me for awhile. So, just go to sleep knowing that while you're alone, miserable and spreading vicious rumors about Cheryl, I'm having sex with her, every night."

And we walked away from Brie and Jillian. I started giggling as I pictured the look on her face. I looked back and saw that she was pretty pissed off. It sucked to be her. We made it to the lobby and we saw Brett and Lila standing there. Ted smiled and pulled me in for the kiss, and I knew what was going on. I made out with him and smiled when he pulled away. I looked behind him and watched as Brett and Lila made their way over.

"Here they come."

I said, as he smiled at me. He stroked my face lovingly and turned to face his brother and Lila. I instantly didn't like Lila. There was something about her that rubbed me the wrong way. She stood there gripped to Brett like Teddy didn't give a damn.

"Who is this?"

"Lila. This is my new girlfriend, Cheryl."

"Nice meeting you, Cheryl. I'm Lila Foxwood, and this is Ted's brother, Brett. My fiancee."

I smiled politely and shook everyone's hands. Brett and I had already met when I came out of the shower, but Lila didn't need to know that. She seemed like the type of person to get jealous at the drop of a hat.

"So, what are you two love birds up to today?"

Brett asked. I watched as Ted's jaw tightened. He didn't want to tell them anything about it. Hell, I wouldn't want him to. This was something both him and I were doing, on our own. An adventure to get to know each other a little bit better.

"We're just going out for a couple of hours, Brett. We're going on a date. What real couples do."

"Well, Lila and I were doing just that too."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

Ted shook his head and watched as Lila pulled a map out of her pocket and handed it to us. It was a map of an Amusement park. Ted started chuckling to himself and then it was full blown laughter.

"An amusement park, Lila? That's a date?"

"What? What's so wrong with an Amusement park, Ted? At least it's fun."

"Fun? No, what Cheryl and I are going to do is fun. An amusement park is kids stuff."

I could tell that Lila was pissed. Lila and Ted must have hung out at some amusement parks before, and the fact that Ted was calling it kids stuff wasn't going over well with her. Then she started digging.

"So, where are you and Ted going? Dinner? A movie?"

"Extreme sports actually. And we're late."

I said, grabbing Ted's hand and dragging him away. He started laughing and that's when I did too. We got into the car and drove it to where we were going bungee jumping. They explained the basics to us, and then Ted watched me as I was going first.

"You're gonna be okay, babe. You got this."

He kept telling me. I smiled, took a deep breath and jumped. I screamed out and giggled.

"Teddy! You've got to do this!"

"You're a rockstar babe! You got this!"

I couldn't see him, from where I was at. But I heard the wind shift, and I knew that he'd come down after me. I could hear him screaming excitedly behind me. We bobbed around for awhile when he reached out and took my hand.

"That was so much fun! We have to do this again!"

"We do!"

He said. The smile on his face was amazing. We finally made it up, and when we got to our feet, he pulled me into a hug and smiled.

"That was the single most amazing thing I think we've ever done. Now, what?"

I looked at my watch and smiled. As much as I wanted to spend time with him, some more. We had to get to the arena. He was already late, and I didn't want to get him into any more trouble by making him later.

"Uhm, Teddy love. I hate to say this, but we have to get a move on. You're already late, and I'm not going to make you later."

He looked at his cell phone and cussed. He grabbed the car keys, and my hand and drug me to the car. He was mumbling something and then he smiled at me and we got in the car. I couldn't keep my mind off of these new feelings I was having for Ted. Because they scared me.

"What are you thinking about?"

He asked me. I didn't know if I should lie to him, or tell him the truth. I smiled softly at him and knew that he couldn't be distracted by what I felt.

"Just how fun today was. I didn't want it to end."

"Me either, and I promise we'll do something fun like that again soon. I just have to do this thing called work…you know how it is."

"I do."

I said, pulling up to the arena. Here we go, somewhere I haven't been in four years. So, why was I suddenly paralyzed with fear going into the arena? Ted must've noticed this because he leaned over and kissed my face softly.

"You're with me. I got your back, okay?"

I nodded and got out of the car with him, taking a deep breath. And I knew, stepping out of the car that this would be good for me. And as long as Ted knew that, so did I.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"DiBiase! You're late!"

I heard once we entered the arena. I looked up to see Stephanie McMahon-Levesque and her husband Paul standing there. The old adage went when Steph was there alone, you were fine. When Paul and Steph were there, you were super fucked. Cheryl gripped my hand tightly, and I knew I'd be fine.

"Yes, Paul. I know I am. And I'm sorry."

"You're never late, DiBiase. Do you have an explanation as to why you are?"

And just as Stephanie asked me that question. She squealed. I take it that she had just noticed that Cheryl had appeared in the building. But she'd been standing next to me for the last two minutes. She stepped forward and pulled Cheryl into a hug and grinned at me.

"Teddy, how do you know Cheryl Canton?"

"Cheryl and I go way back. I met her at a show in Baltimore a year ago."

I watched Cheryl hug Stephanie and she smiled. I could tell that she'd missed being where she was. She missed knowing that she had some kind of a family on the road. It was written all over her face.

"I'm sorry, Steph. I kept him out later. We had decided to have our first date. We went bungee jumping, and we lost track of time."

And just those comments right there, made Stephanie smile. I'd never seen Stephanie soften, and neither did Paul. He looked back at me and I shrugged. He patted me on the shoulder and I watched the exchange between Cheryl and Stephanie.

"You and I have so much to catch up on. I am going to make you a job offer, Cheryl and I won't take no for an answer."

Cheryl nodded and Stephanie let us through. Cheryl looked super happy, and she squealed as we rounded the corner. I couldn't believe this. All of this good stuff was happening to her. And I was just happy for her. I couldn't believe it. We walked away from Stephanie and Paul and made our way towards the locker room areas. Cheryl waved at all the divas that had remained her friend, and then went into the locker room with me.

"This is so weird for me, Ted."

"I bet. How are you holding up?"

"Ironically, I'm doing fine. So far, until I see Adam."

I watched as she shuddered at the possibility of meeting Adam again. I knew this was a huge effort for her, to be back in the environment she was in. I took her hand and smiled at her.

"Adam will not come near you, I promise."

"Thanks Ted."

She said to me, smiling. I was watching her fluttering around the locker room, trying to find something to keep her entertained while we had these long periods of sitting around and waiting. It made me want her to be happy. I looked at her and laughed.

"Hey, Canton. Why don't you go visit with Stephanie? I saw the look on her face when she saw you for the first time in three years. You'll probably get an offer out of it, and it might be easier for you to trick Lila."

"You're totally right, Teddy. I think I might do that."

She said, kissing me softly and walking out of the locker room. I was left alone with my thoughts now. I couldn't believe that this angel had walked into my life. And I knew that she was suddenly becoming the most important thing in my world, and I don't know how I could handle that. It was only supposed to be for me to get Bailey back. To prove to Lila I was a good father. And now it seemed I was falling for Cheryl. I felt like I wanted to protect her from all the bad shit that Adam was throwing at her. I saw how she was with Mariah and Sunny, I saw what an amazing mom she was. I saw her struggle everyday with the names Adam called her. I didn't want to turn into that unsung hero for her, but I didn't want to into him either. We were supposed to be getting something out of this for each other. It seemed like I was getting the companionship I had been lacking since my divorce from Kristin was final, and she got the motivation to do something better with her life. I saw the change in her. It was evident in the way she looked at me when she picked me up at the airport, up until now. I was giving her something to live for. But why did I hate that so much? I didn't hate it inasmuch as I was afraid of it. And I knew at that point, I had to either put up or shut up. So, I stopped getting ready for my match tonight against Randy and left the locker room. I knocked on John Hennigan's door and waited while he opened it. Whether or not he sucked at scoring women, he was my best friend. He appeared at the door seconds later and smiled at me. He could tell something was off about me, so he ushered me inside.

"You look like something hit you, are you okay?"

"I think I'm falling for her, but I can't be sure."

"No shit, come on in buddy, we'll talk about it."

He said to me, as I walked in and he shut the door behind me. I sat down on the bench and watched as he sat down next to me. I sighed and put my head in my hands. I looked at him while he patiently waited for me to begin.

"When Cheryl and I met a year ago, she was drunk and looking for a good time. We had sex and then I spent the night with her. She gave me her number and we talked from time to time. She's an amazing spirit, and I'd come to realize that what Adam had said about her was not true at all. So, when this whole thing with Lila and Brett came up, she was the one person I knew I could call to take care of this for me. Then we started living as boyfriend and girlfriend…John, it's getting way to serious for me, and I don't know if I can handle it."

John patted me on the back. He knew what it was like to love someone so much that you couldn't have them. His ex-girlfriend Isabella was pregnant with someone else's baby, and that broke his heart. He turned to look at me, and that's when I knew what he was going to say to me.

"Okay, so you need a cooling off period. But you're way too much of a coward to say it. So, instead of spending all of this time with Cheryl like you're doing, you focus all of your energies towards Bailey. You wanted to prove to them that she was your main priority, didn't you? Well, do that. Make her your priority. Sure, help Cheryl out with proving to Adam she isn't the nut job he makes her out to be. Making sure that your kids are safe, that's important."

And I swear to god, I could see John's enlightenment. He was right. I was getting sidetracked with wanting to be happy in my life with not taking Brett's threat of taking over the parental rights of Bailey seriously. I smiled at him, and patted him on the back, thanking him for his advice and walked out. I was behind in my match prep, so I walked back into the locker room and looked around. Cheryl hadn't come back from visiting Stephanie, so I took advantage of that. I got into the shower and thought about what I'd say to her. I stepped out of the shower and smiled as I knew I was still alone. I slid into my trunks easily and then the t-shirt they'd just manufactured for me. I heard the door open and close and I poked my head out and saw Cheryl standing there. I walked out and looked at her. She looked happy. Happier than she had in a long time.

"What's got you so happy?"

"Stephanie offered me a position. Head of WWE Creative, full benefits. And choice of shows to work on. Travel schedule two days a week. Monday and Tuesday, based out of Connecticut. I'm gonna have an office."

I couldn't do it. I couldn't squish her fantasy like that. She was finally landing on her feet, and to pull the rug out from under her like that is just cruel. I smiled and pulled her into a hug, grinning. This was something she'd wanted, and he wasn't going to stand in the way of that.

"I am so proud of you, honey. Do you need to get refamiliarized with the product?"

"No, believe it or not, I kept up with the product while I was gone. I'm familiar with everything. So, I am going to get in the shower and find the nearest monitor. Good luck out there, DiBiase…"

She said. She knew something was up. She knew that I was pulling away from her. Cheryl was so instinctive it wasn't funny. I sighed and walked out of the locker room, knowing that things were changing for her, for the positive. And I wanted to be a part of that, but I wasn't sure how I wanted it. Friends, lovers, or nothing?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I knew going into this whole thing that Teddy wouldn't love me. But I could also tell that he was pulling away from me. It wasn't in his actions, it was in his words. I am a very instinctive person by nature, so yeah…it scared me. I was safely ensconced in my office when Stephanie poked her head in. She smiled at me and I smiled back to her. I had just finished the Raw re-write when she sat down.

"Hey you."

"Hey. I just finished the Raw rewrite. I'm getting ready to write Adam and Nick and Vickie right now."

"No, you're going to go home. Do you know that Ted DiBiase has been calling here non stop for the last two hours asking me when I was going to release you. He said something about Skype?"

I had completely forgotten that Ted and I were Skyping today. I'd been so wrapped up with trying to get the script finished for her, and it was damn near impossible to do that with all of the incessant noise following her around in the office all day. They had still been working on her office.

"Yeah, since this is the mandatory days where I'm home and he's on the road. We keep in touch everyday."

"Well good. Now, go home. Skype with him. Be happy!"

Stephanie said, going to my computer and clocking me out. Thanking god for iPhones, I pulled up Skype and smiled when Ted was already there, waiting. I got the signal for incoming call and smiled when his face came up.

"Hello beautiful."

"Hey…god sweetie, I'm sorry. I was trying to finish the Raw re-write."

"No problem. You alone?"

"Of course not, DiBiase!"

Stephanie yelled from behind me. I watched as Stephanie walked out of my office and then I walked out and locked it. I smiled as Ted took his phone around to the different areas of the arena.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?"

He asked me. I shrugged. I actually knew what I was going to do, but I wanted to see him guess. It was a game we played. I made my way to the limo and smiled when I got in.

"Probably movie night. I don't know. I haven't quite figured that out yet. Are you okay? You seem a little off."

"Yeah, yeah…I'm fine. I just miss you, that's all. I spent time with Bailey today. She's getting so big."

"What did you guys do today?"

"We hung out. Watched movies. Played with some kids."

"Kids huh?"

"Yeah."

And suddenly, the camera twisted to show me Mariah and Sunny standing there waving at the camera. Ted was sitting on the floor with them, and I could see Adam standing off to the side.

"Mommy!"

"Hey Mariah girl! Hey Sunny Day!"

"Mommy, we played with Teddy's daughter! Bailey is so nice! And daddy said we could keep her as a friend! And mommy, is it true you're coming back on the road?"

"Yep. Two times a week. Monday and Tuesdays. Maybe we'll be able to hang out!"

"Yay! Mommy, we can't wait to see you!"

And that right there pinned me to my seat. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. They wanted to see me! I started to cry.

"I can't wait to see you guys either. You be good for daddy, okay? I love you guys so much."

"We love you too, mommy!"

They said in unison. Then Ted turned the phone to Adam and I held my breath. I wanted to be out of the limo before he said anything derogatory to me at all. I stepped out and saw him smile at me.

"They adore you, you know."

"I know. And I love them too, Adam."

"I know. And I'm sorry I denied you access to them. You've changed, Cheryl. For the better, Ted says. Now, I'm not saying I believe him, but I'm going to watch you. I'm allowing you supervised visitation with Mariah and Sunny. Three hours a day before the Raw and Smackdown tapings. I swear to you, if you slip up one time, I'm pulling the plug."

"Has anyone told you that you're a dick?"

Ted said, flipping the camera back. I walked into the house and sighed softly. I was alone in this house I'd just bought, and if I could be anywhere else, I would. I sat down on the sofa and flipped on the TV that Ted had bought for me. The plasma screen TV that had a webcam in it and was Skype enabled. I disconnected Skype from my phone and watched as Ted's big head came through on my TV.

"That's better. You look so tired, Teddy Bear."

"Nah. Not really. Yeah, okay, I guess."

"You sure you're okay?"

"We need to talk, sweetie. And I don't want you to get all upset or mad."

"Oh god, do I need to pour a glass of wine?"

I asked, standing up and heading towards the kitchen. Ted was confused as to why I was leaving, but I had to get a glass of wine. I poured a glass while he waited for me to come back. I brought the bottle of wine with me, and sat back down in front of the TV.

"Are you all settled now, Cheryl?"

"Yes Theodore, now speak."

"I think we need to cool our physical relationship for awhile."

I was shocked. I thought things were going great between him and I. But, apparently I was totally wrong. I looked around and sighed.

"What? Why?"

"Well, we agreed that nothing would happen while we were trying to get Bailey back."

"We didn't agree to anything! You told me we were going to get Bailey back. That was it. It's not my fault you fell for me! But you know what Ted, it's your loss! I will not let you hurt me! I'm going to be just fine! You know what, it's over. The arrangement! It's over! When you come off the road on Wednesday, you can come get your stuff."

I yelled at him. And then I severed the connection. I wasn't going to waste my breath with him anymore. If he wasn't going to make a commitment to me, then fine. I wasn't going to hang around. I threw the wine bottle that was still full at the TV, and then I called Stephanie.

"Stephanie McMahon's office?"

"Steph, it's Cheryl."

I said, sniffling. Right away she knew that something was wrong. I was in a full blown crying jag at this point, and didn't know who to turn to.

"What happened?"

"Teddy just broke up with me."

And then Stephanie listened for two hours about how I was there for him. But I wasn't going to let this breakup affect me the way the breakup between Adam and I. No, I was going to stand strong, and live for my new career, and my daughters. I could do that, couldn't I? I hung up with Stephanie and went upstairs to bed, knowing it was going to be hard to get through this, but vowing I wouldn't let Ted do this to me again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Cheryl, wait!"

I said to her as she sped past me on her way to Stephanie's office. I knew that she had the copy of the Raw re-write in her hand, and I was curious to see it. I am lying to myself. I needed to know that she was okay. She turned to look at me and then walked over to me. She smiled harshly and I knew she was pissed at me still.

"What Ted?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You're sorry? I don't give a fuck about how sorry you are! Okay? I've got a ton of work to do. This copy is two hours behind and I don't give a shit about how you feel. So, unless you're here to tell me that you can do the re-write for your scenes with Maryse, then I'd welcome the input. Otherwise, butt out!"

She yelled at me. And then she stalked off. She was hurt and angry. I understood that, but in time she'll see that I did what's best for Bailey and I. Then why did I feel like half of me had been completely ripped out?

_I hear the ticking of the clock_

_I'm laying here the room's pitch dark_

_I wonder where you are tonight_

_No answer on the telephone_

_And the night goes by so very slow_

_Oh I hope it won't end though_

_Alone_

I couldn't sleep. All I do is wonder how to get her back. Even Stephanie won't talk to me. It's like Stephanie's blocking my way to her. I had to figure out how to thaw Stephanie out to get my girl back. So, as I lay here with insomnia, I realize I need to do something. So, I grabbed my cell phone and dialed John. He gave me such sound advice before, and I wanted to know what he was thinking about it now. I waited for him to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey dude, I need some advice."

"Ted, it's two am. We have a 9am flight. Why are you calling me?"

"I need some advice."

I could hear his sheets rustling, and then a door closing. He went out into the hallway to talk to me.

"Now, what's going on here? I thought you wanted out with Cheryl."

"I did. I do. But now I can't sleep without her here. I wake up and I reach over, and feel that the pillow side is cold. I hear songs on the radio and I think about her. I cannot get her out of my mind. And yes, it's true…when she walks by me, she's hurt. But I need to get her back."

I listened as John processed this information. He waited and then he started laughing. He was laughing softly and then I was very nearly going to hang up the phone when he spoke again.

"Dude, you're so whipped. Hang on, I'm coming up."

He said to me. I hung up the phone and waited for him to come upstairs. He was only one floor below me, and I didn't know what was taking so long. All I knew was that if he didn't come up here soon, I was going to go and find him.

_Till now I always got by on my own_

_I never really cared until I met you_

_And now it chills me to the bone_

_How do I get you alone_

_How do I get you alone_

The knock came a few minutes later, and I went to answer it. Standing on the other side was John and Cheryl. Cheryl looked pissed and John looked tired. I was shocked, but then John pushed his way into the hotel room. He led Cheryl to the table and pushed her down onto a chair. Then walked over to me and shoved me hard and pushed me into the chair.

"Now talk."

He said to me. I glared at him, as Cheryl was glaring at me. Neither one of us said anything for a long period of time. John got exasperated and looked at his watch. He grabbed a chair and sat down and began talking.

"Cheryl, how pissed are you at Ted."

"I'm so mad at him I can't see straight. He dumped me. He pretended things were going great…and then he up and leaves me."

"Ted, how do you feel about Cheryl?"

"I've fallen for her. Hard. I didn't realize it until I went home and couldn't sleep. Parts of her were still there. I know I screwed up, Cheryl. Trust me, I know this. But I can't pretend that I don't love you. I know I said Bailey was the main priority here, but that's so far from the truth. We can still prove that I'm a good dad, that I'm an attentive dad, but we can do it together. You can show Adam you're an amazing mom."

And then I looked at her. Her eyes were welling up with tears. Like she believed what I was telling her. She smiled at me and I knew that she was trying to forgive me. She stood up and walked over to me. She took my hand and smiled at me.

"I will forgive you, Ted. But I won't forget. If you feel like you need to leave, don't string me along, just do it."

_You don't know how long I have waited_

_And I was going to tell you tonight_

_And the secret is still my own_

_And my love for you is still unknown_

_Alone_

Things were back to normal, mostly. Cheryl and I were working through our problems. We were making it known that we were back together and that we were gunning for our children. I watched as Cheryl typed away on her laptop and sighed. She was doing the Smackdown re-write and she was frustrated. I walked over to the table where she was sitting and smiled.

"Relax…it's not a huge deal. You're only re-writing the one story, right? Don't over think it."

She looked at me and smiled. She patted my hand and hit save and then put her laptop down. She looked up at me and grinned. She knew that I could be persuasive when I needed to be. I rubbed her shoulders and smiled at the scene in front of me. I needed to tell her how I felt. I kissed her neck softly and massaged her shoulders. I knew I was seducing her, I did. She stood up and looked at me.

"Promise me I'm not just an easy lay."

I could assure her of that. I could look her in the eyes and reassure her that I wanted her. Now and forever.

"I promise you Cheryl, you're not an easy lay. Now, come on over here princess, let me show you how to relax."

And I did. I showed her what my love meant. I showed her how I truly felt about her. Everything felt like it was all coming together. I couldn't have been more happier in this moment.

_Till now I always got by on my own_

_I never really cared until I met you_

_And now it chills me to the bone_

_How do I get you alone_

_How do I get you alone_

_How do I get you alone_

_How do I get you alone_

_Alone, alone_

And it felt like I was truly coming home. It felt like I was the luckiest man in the world. I didn't realize just how much things would change over the next few months…

A/N: This was a hard chapter to write. I didn't know if I wanted Cheryl to stay angry, or if I wanted Cheryl to forgive him. I know the way I want to write it, and it's going to be an interesting type of story from here on out…song in the story is 'Alone' by Heart. Expect some more songs in the future. Read and review!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ted and I had worked everything out. I hated being angry at him, sure, but he needed to learn a lesson. And so I had sworn that I'd teach him that. And then he came grovelling back to me. I knew that he was right. I did love him, and I have spent all my time since then showing him that. So then it shocked me right out of my shoes when something stepped in and tried ripping us apart…

I was working hard on the outline of matches for Elimination Chamber PPV. I had been on the phone with Trish Stratus's people all day trying to see if she'd be interested in making an appearance at the pay-per-view. The door to my office opened and Lila breezed in. I watched her take a seat in front of me and waited. I hung up with Trish's publicist and looked at Lila sitting in front of me.

"Hi Lila, can I help you with something? I have a creative team meeting in a few minutes."

"Yeah, I want Ted."

I looked at her like she was crazy. She was sitting here telling me she wanted Ted. Like I was going to make him magically appear and hand him over. He was on his way to the West Coast for a handful of shows. Including Elimination Chamber. I didn't have time to deal with Lila, I had to be on a plane in three hours and I couldn't believe this.

"You want Ted? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. Brett bores me. I need Ted. He keeps things exciting. I'm willing to give you money in order to have him. Five million dollars for you to get lost."

Then suddenly I had an idea. I discreetly pulled my phone out of my desk and dialed Ted's number. I was hoping that he still wasn't in the air, but when I heard him say 'Hey baby'. I knew he wasn't.

"So, what do you say Cheryl. Five million dollars for you to leave Ted."

"No deal, Lila. Believe it or not, Lila. I love him. I love him, and I'm not giving him up for anyone. Not even you. Sure, before our relationship was about making sure that Bailey, Mariah and Sunny were in our lives again, but this time it's bigger. It's bigger than that. I love him. I love him so much."

Ted had hung up by this point and had sent me a text message. I pushed the button on my phone and looked at the message.

"_Lila is crazy. I'm sorry you have to go through that alone. I'll call you in a bit. My love always, Ted."_

And then I knew that things would be better. Ted would help me deal with this. Just then, the phone in my office rang. I smiled and answered it, knowing that my secretary had the day off. I put it on speaker and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello love."

Ted said. I immediately smiled and watched as Lila fidgeted in the seat across from me. I laughed softly and smiled.

"Hi sweetie. How's the weather?"

"Good. So, is Lila still there?"

"How did you know I was here, Teddy Bear?"

"Cheryl was very smart, Li. She had her cell on under the desk. Why are you doing this? You're marrying Brett. I've accepted that. I've moved on. I wasn't expecting to, but I did. I almost lost Cheryl once, Lila. And as god is my witness, I won't do it again. Not you, not anyone will come between her and I. Now, walk away, before I tell my brother where you're really at."

And I laughed. Lila wasn't a factor in our relationship. Never was and never would be. I watched as she stood up and walked away. She wasn't going to jeopardize her relationship or her standing in the DiBiase house. I smiled and continued talking to Ted.

"She's gone."

"Smart cookie you are, Cheryl. It made perfect sense for you to call me. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. It isn't your fault."

"So, you almost done?"

"I'm waiting for Trish's people to call me back. As soon as they do, I'm going to be on the plane to LAX and then driving to Fresno."

"The bed is waiting for you. Hell, I'm waiting for you. And don't forget, Adam said you could spend the day with the girls tomorrow. And I have Bailey, so we can all hang out."

"Thank god for you, Teddy. You know, where would I be without you?"

"Alone and working in a paralegal's office."

"True. Alright look, let me go finish this work here, and I'll call you when I'm done."

"Okay Princess. I love you."

"Love you too, Teddy. Bye."

I said, hanging up. I knew something was off. Something felt off. I called Trish's people back and still had nothing, so I told them I'd be on a flight to California. I still had to go back to my apartment and pack. I'd been so busy working I hadn't had time. So, I locked up my office and walked out to my car. I got in, and nothing. So I was relieved. I made to back to my apartment and realized that I was paranoid. Nothing bad was going to happen. Nothing. So, I drove along towards the airport and smiled when I made it there in one piece. I got on the plane and realized I'd forgotten to call Teddy. I sent him a text saying I'd made it onto the plane and that I was flying out there. I'd call him when I landed. I was conducting business via email with Trish's people when I got the confirmation she'd be there. I forwarded the email to Stephanie and then closed my laptop. I put it down just as we were descending into LAX. I did everything I was supposed to. I walked through security and over to the rental car place. They knew I was part of WWE, so I was heading that way when my cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Is this Cheryl Canton?"

"It is."

"Miss Canton, I'm delivering a message. Be careful. Ted isn't worth losing your life over. Because if you stay with him, you will lose your life."

And then they hung up. I was suddenly shaken, so I called Ted. I waited while his phone rang and then he answered. I got in the car and started crying.

"Hello?"

"Baby…"

"Cheryl, what's wrong?"

"I…I just got the scariest phone call."

"What happened?"

"Someone just called me and told me that if I stayed with you, I would lose my life."

Ted was silent on the other end of the phone. I knew that I was panicked and then suddenly someone jumped me from behind. I screamed and it all went black…


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Something happened. Something bad happened. She screamed, and now I can't get a hold of her. I hopped out of bed and walked down the hall. I pounded on Brett's door and waited for him to open it. I waited while the door opened, and Brett stood there looking groggy.

"Where's Lila?"

"I don't know, dude. She's been gone for awhile. She didn't say where she was going."

"Cheryl's been kidnapped. And if I find out that Lila had something to do with it, Brett, so help me god I will rip her limb from limb, and then come back here and whoop your ass for letting it happen."

I said, walking away from his room. I walked two floors down and went to Adam's room. I knocked softly on the door, because I knew the twins were in there. I waited until he came to the door and opened it. I smiled and shook his hand.

"What brings you to the Copeland room at two am?"

"Dude, something's wrong with Cheryl. She was on the phone with me, and she was telling me about this phone call and then she screamed and the line disconnected. I'm worried."

"Okay dude, Cheryl's not a joker. She wouldn't plan things like this. Have you checked with your brother?"

"I did. Lila's not there, and he doesn't know where she is. I swear to god, Adam, if Lila's behind this…"

I couldn't finish the sentence. Adam needed to find a sitter for the twins, because he said he was going to help me. I knew that things were going to be rough now, because Cheryl was missing, but I knew that Adam could find it in his heart to forgive her. He had called on his friend Jay Reso to come and watch the twins while we went to look for Cheryl. I was so scared.

"She's fine dude, I promise."

Adam said to me, clapping me on the shoulder. I dialed her cell phone again, and got voicemail. I left a message for her, and then I called Lila. Lila didn't answer either, so I left a very scathing message for her.

"Delilah. It's Ted, I swear to god if you hurt one hair on Cheryl's head, and I'll never forgive you, got it? Now, you'll call me and tell me where you have her."

I said, slamming down the phone. I couldn't believe this. She wouldn't have done this when we were younger. Something turned her into the vile, vicious woman who hurt me. A few minutes later, my cell phone rang, and I looked at it. It was Cheryl's cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Why hello Theodore."

Lila said on the other end of the phone. I shook my head. I couldn't believe it. She was behind it, she had to be, and if she wasn't, I would still make sure that Bailey never would see her again. That was my guarantee.

"Lila, why do you have Cheryl's cell phone?"

"Because, I have her. I'm proving a point, Ted. She needs to realize that I always get what I want. I want you, Ted. I've always wanted you. I sat idly by waiting for you to realize your feelings for me. Then this woman comes into the picture. I chose Brett, because it was easier to get to you! But then Cheryl came along…"

I had her on speakerphone, so Adam could hear her. He made the psycho hand motion and I nodded. This was my best friend, the woman who loved me unconditionally for so long. But I didn't love her in the same way that she loved me. I couldn't. Lila and I are destined to be friends, nothing more and nothing less.

"Hey! Lila, you have just gone completely crazy! I don't know the real you anymore! I thought I had feelings for you, but they never developed. Never! Cheryl and I were acquaintances, that feeling grew. She's everything I've ever wanted in a woman….everything. She's smart, funny, beautiful, and most importantly she's an amazing mom. Now…where is she!"

I couldn't hold it in. Adam could see how lost I was without her by my side. We pulled over to the side of the road, so I could talk to Lila.

"She's somewhere you'd never think. Now Teddy, you take your friend back to the hotel. Meet me at Ruby's Diner on 335. I'll give you little clues as to where Cheryl is. I promise you, Teddy. She won't be hurt."

And then she disconnected. I shook my head, and looked at Adam. He put his hand on my shoulder and patted it. I needed to go back to the hotel and regroup. I drove us back to the hotel and he got out of the car. But he stopped to look at me.

"Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Yes. Get in touch with Stephanie. Tell her Cheryl has been abducted and I know who has her. And if I go AWOL, tell her not to worry. I'm going to find our girl."

"Got it."

He said, heading back into the hotel. I drove back to the diner that Lila pointed out, and saw her step out of an unmarked car. I parked and got out of the car and walked over to her. She tried to kiss me, but I pulled away from her.

"What? No kiss for me?"

"No. Now, what am I doing here?"

"I brought you here to talk. I know you want to find her, Teddy. And I'm here to tell you where to find her."

I didn't believe it. I knew that there was something going on. She was holding out on me. I knew that. She went inside the diner and I saw my ally sitting at the table. John Hennigan. He was supposed to be on my side, I suddenly then realized that he was on Lila's. He'd been on Lila's side for this whole time. I gasped and followed her to the table.

"How could you do this to me?"

"The money was right, Ted…I am so sorry."

I shook my head and sat down across from John and Lila. I sighed and needed to hear them tell me where she was.

"You betrayed me. Cheryl liked you, John. She told me that we could trust you. I guess she was wrong. So, why am I here?"

"Well, Ted. Johnny and I have taken your Cheryl. We've hidden her in a top secret location, and I know that you want her back. But I have a few demands. First, you need to have one night with me…"

"Hell no! What part of no don't you understand? Lila, you need help. You and Brett, belong together! Once my brother finds out what you did, you'll lose everything."

"Don't you see, Ted? I already have! I've lost you! The one thing that I can't seem to get right, and I've lost it. Bailey is the one constant in my life! And now you're threatening that. So, I took the one thing that matters to you. Cheryl, and you won't get her back until my demands are met."

I shook my head. I couldn't believe this. This had to be a nightmare. I was going to wake up, and John wouldn't be there, and Lila wouldn't be making demands, and most importantly, Cheryl would be laying next to me in bed, curled up damn near on top of me, her hair on my shoulder.

"Fine! What do I have to do?"

"Simple, sleep with me. One night. Then I'll give you my next demand. But until then, you're at my beck and call."

I knew this wasn't going to be good. This was going to be trouble. I could only imagine what her next demand was going to be. She was going to get me to marry her, some how or another, and I wouldn't do it. That meant losing Cheryl for good, and I wouldn't do it.

"No way. I'm not anyone's fucking errand boy, Lila. I'm not. So you know what, I will find her myself. And I'll start when I can, where I can."

I said, walking out of the restaurant, knowing it would be a lost cause. But I'd try…I'd damn sure try…


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**I could hear a woman's voice. I could hear a familiar man's voice. I looked around…and had no idea where I was, but I knew I wasn't with Ted. That wasn't okay, either. I listened to the man and woman talk and gasped when they addressed each other. I had a massive headache, and I was apparently in a dark, dirty room. I tried crawling across the floor, only to realize that there was a chain on my ankle. **

"**It's not as easy as you think, keeping her here."**

**The male voice said. I threw my head up and realized that it was John Hennigan. And he was looking right at me. I took it that the woman was Lila, but I couldn't see her. John kept staring at me and then I heard a cell phone ring and a door slam. Then I saw John come towards me. I was nervous. I tried to shy away from him, but he took his hand and put it gently to my face while putting his finger to his lips.**

"**Shh…Cheryl, I'm going to help you. I'm in way over my head now, and I need to get out. I consider Ted a friend, so I promise you, I'm going to help. Ted is going on a wild goose chase looking for you. I'm going to call him and lead him here. Just please cooperate with me."**

**I knew that John wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction. I watched as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Ted's number. He pulled a voice disguiser out of his pocket and covered the phone with it and waited for Ted to answer. He had it on speaker so I could hear it.**

"**Hello?"**

"**Ah, hello Ted. I know where Cheryl is. And I'm calling to help you, no strings attached."**

"**Who is this?"**

"**It doesn't matter who this is. I'm looking at Cheryl right now, and I promise you, she's okay. Now, she's at the abandoned warehouses on 20th**** and Academy. She's chained up like a dog, she's got some cuts and bruises on her, but other than that, she is okay."**

"**I want to talk to her!"**

**Ted demanded. John nodded at me and I smiled warmly at him. He took the voice changer off the phone and handed the phone to me. I held it with my unchained hand and spoke softly.**

"**Teddy."**

"**Cheryl, god it's so good to hear your voice. You okay?"**

"**I'm fine now baby. I'm fine now. It's dark, and cold. And I'm so scared."**

"**You're going to be just fine sweetie. I'm coming for you, okay?"**

"**Okay Teddy. She isn't helping us, but he is."**

"**Who are they?"**

**But before I could answer his question, the phone was jerked out of my hand and the call was ended. Lila walked in and looked at me. She glared at John, but knew nothing of the phone call. She reached down and slapped me, hard. **

"**I don't know what's going on here, but it needs to stop."**

**She said, throwing a bag down on the floor. There was food in the bag, and I knew that it was food. I was starving, but I knew Teddy was coming for me. So, I could hold out hope for that. I watched Lila and John talk.**

"**Did you make the ransom call?"**

"**I did. Ted knows where to meet us. He's going to drop off the first part of the payment and then we'll show him Cheryl."**

**What Lila didn't know was that Teddy was coming for me. Teddy knew where I was, and he was going to come and save me! I waited and then opened the bag that was dropped in front of me. It was a greasy cheeseburger and soggy fries. At this point, I'd eat cat food. I started eating when Lila looked at me.**

"**Be careful now honey, Ted won't want you if you get fat."**

**I stood up as best as I could, and lunged at her. I then realized that lunging at her didn't help, because I was chained to the floor. I ended up falling, and clocking my face on the floor. I felt my jaw break the minute I landed. I writhed around in pain. John walked over to me and knelt down, caressing my hair softly.**

"**You okay?"**

**I tried to open my mouth to talk, but couldn't. I ended up screaming out in pain, while Lila pulled him back up off the floor. I watched him as he argued with Lila about getting me some medical attention. She wouldn't do it. She then got mad, she walked out of the building. John followed her out and then came back in. He knelt down beside me, and uncuffed my legs.**

"**I'm calling Ted, Cheryl. Then I'm taking you to the hospital."**

**I nodded as he called Ted, forgetting about the voice disguiser. I waited, as John lay me gently on the backseat and then we heard Teddy answer.**

"**Hello?"**

"**Ted, it's John. Listen, I have Cheryl. She tried attacking Lila, and she was chained at the ankle. She fell and it seems like she has a broken jaw. I'm taking her to University Medical. Meet us there."**

"**Are you sure this isn't a setup, Hennigan?"**

"**Trust me, Ted when I tell you, this is no setup."**

"**Okay."**

**Ted said, hanging up. I knew he was nervous, and he sounded it. John got me to the hospital, and into a room. He told the nurse to call a police officer and tell him that I was the victim of a kidnapping by a crazy woman. I watched as John waited for Teddy, and they wheeled me into the X-Ray room. I was wheeled out sometime later, and admitted into a room. I watched as the doctor came in and smiled at me.**

"**I'm Doctor Kate Edwards."**

**She said, shaking my hand softly. I smiled at her as best as I could, and tried paying attention to her. But before I could listen to her, I saw John and Teddy in the doorway. Ted came into the bedroom and looked at me. He walked over to me and kissed my forehead. He looked at me and then to the doctor.**

"**I'm Ted DiBiase. I'm her fiancee. And the only family she has."**

"**Mr. DiBiase, as I was getting ready to explain to Miss Canton, she has a broken jaw. We do need to go in to surgically repair it. We're going to put a steel plate in her jaw to keep it together. But we do need to operate soon. She won't be able to talk or eat for six weeks, because her jaw will be wired shut."**

"**Fine, do what you have to do."**

**Ted said, stroking my hair softly. I nodded in agreement with him. We had to do whatever we could fix this jaw problem. I watched as the doctor walked out and Ted looked at me. He stroked my hair softly and kissed me.**

"**Baby, I'm sorry. I will never let you out of my sight. I feel guilty for this…I really do."**

**Then he turned to look at John. He didn't look at him, he glared at him. I watched him and put my hand on his arm softly. He looked at me and I shook my head. He nodded at me and extended his hand and I watched as John took it and shook it.**

"**Ted, I'm sorry-"**

"**Don't worry about it. You did the right thing, bringing her here. I'll deal with Lila. And the next time you need money, come to me…"**

"**You got it."**

**He said, walking over to me. He kissed my forehead softly and patted my hand. He assured me that he'd be back later on in the day. He walked out, then the nurse came in with papers for Ted and I to sign for the surgery. After the papers were signed, the anesthesiologist came in to put me under. The last thing I heard Ted tell me was that he loved me.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_Once more I say goodbye, to you_

_Things happen but we really don't know why_

_If it's supposed to be like this _

_Why do most of us ignore the chance to miss?_

As I drove along the streets to where I knew the warehouse would be, I couldn't help but think back to a time when life was so much simpler. Lila was crazy. She'd never been this psycho in all the years I knew her. Never. She didn't realize just how much I needed Cheryl. I pulled up to the warehouse and saw Lila's car. I parked next to it, and watched as the unmarked police car parked behind me. I walked to the warehouse and knocked on the door that Lila appointed me to. I waited and watched as she opened the door.

"Teddy."

"Delilah."

"You called me Delilah, you've never called me Delilah. Never."

"Yeah, well this time you deserved it. You kidnapped Cheryl."

I could tell she didn't know that I knew. Her eyes widened and she tried to run away from me. I grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to me. I shook her until I got answers. And I didn't know how that happened.

"I didn't hurt her!"

"You didn't hurt her? Really? Because she's in the hospital having surgery to have steel plates put in her jaw because it's broken! And from the story John Hennigan told me, you provoked her."

I could tell that she was shocked that John had turned on her. She led me to a little room off the warehouse she had and I sat down in the chair across from her. It was time to straighten all of this stuff out, and I didn't care how it happened, but I was going to get to the bottom of this.

"You and me are going to talk, and neither one of us are leaving until we get this all figured out."

_Oh yeah…._

_Torn apart at the seams and my dreams turn to tears _

_I'm not feeling this situation_

_Run away try to find a safe place you can hide_

_It's the best place to be when you're feeling like…._

"I did love you, once Lila. When we had Bailey. But then you changed. You changed in a bad way. I went back out on the road and started working again, but then it was like a switch flipped. You just turned away from me. You went bat shit crazy, when I left. You swore I was cheating on you, so what did you do? You fell for Brett. My own brother. My flesh and blood. So I did the first thing I knew how to do…I met Cheryl. And I swear Lila, I swear I didn't know that I was going to develop feelings for her, but I did."

"We had so much going for us, Ted. We were the power couple. The couple who had it all. The daughter, the relationship, and then you threw it all away. For a roll in the hay. With someone who, according to most of the locker room, is crazier than I am. She's got mental health issues, Ted. She went crazy when Adam dumped her."

"That is the biggest load of crap, Lila and you know it. What would've happened to you if your whole life was turned upside down? The same fucking thing, and you know it. Adam up and left her, then she quit WWE. Adam took her daughters from her. Imagine someone snatching Bailey from you, Lila! Imagine someone degrading you so bad that you started to believe every day those names."

"She is! She is a loony toon Ted! I see the way she looks at you. I'll guarantee you one thing, Teddy. She doesn't love you like I do. I have the one thing that she'll never have. You. You're here now, right? And where is Cheryl? At University Medical having surgery. That shows where your loyalties lay."

I couldn't believe this. She was absolutely right. I was with Lila, when I should've been at University Medical Center waiting on news for Cheryl. I couldn't believe this. I stood up and looked at Lila. Glared was more like it, and I sighed. I needed to get out of this warehouse before I started thinking things that I shouldn't be.

"I'm leaving. And I'm not coming back. You'll be hearing from my lawyer tomorrow. That is a promise. I'm going to press kidnapping charges, and I'm going to file for soul custody of Bailey. You've gone so far as to prove to me that you're the crazy one here, Lila."

I said, walking out of the warehouse. I got back into my car and called the hospital only to find out that Cheryl was still in surgery. So, I decided to drive around for a little bit. I ended up at a park on a bench. I was thinking about the different comparisons between Cheryl and Lila. I sat on the bench and put my head back, and closed my eyes, thinking about the love of my life, and the mother of my daughter.

_Me…(me!)_

_Yeah…(yeah!)_

_All these things I hate revolve around_

_Me…(me!)_

_Yeah…(yeah)_

_Just back off before I snap_

Cheryl was everything I wanted in a woman…she's caring, she's loving, she's funny. Lila was more reserved, more closed off, more resentful. Especially towards Bailey. She didn't want Bailey to begin with, and I knew that. Bailey was more for me than anything else. I wouldn't deny Lila anything, except my daughter. But things have changed now. Lila and I were not seeing eye to eye. I knew something had to happen. Something needed to happen, and it was so crazy, because I didn't want bodily harm to come to anyone, but I wanted Lila to hurt. I wanted Lila to hurt as bad as Cheryl did. I knew what I had to do.

_Once more you tell those lies, to me_

_Why can't you be straight up with honesty?_

_When you say those things in my ear _

_Do you always tell me what you wanna hear? _

_Oh yeah_

_Wear your heart on your sleeve, make things hard to believe_

_I'm not feeling this situation_

_Run away try to find a safe place you can hide_

_It's the best place to be when you're feeling like…_

I drove back to the warehouse and saw that Lila's car was still there. I had a tire iron in my car, so I grabbed it. It was a defense mechanism. In case she tried anything crazy. I opened the door and walked in. I saw Lila in the office and I walked in. She seemed surprised when I came in, but I smiled at her. I knew what I needed to do. I looked around and made sure nobody else was around.

"What are you up to, Teddy?"

"I've come to show you just how I do things, Lila."

I said, and swung. And when I connected, I knew I'd done it. She fell and I watched as the blood pooled. I had to get out of there and fast. I brought the crowbar with me and headed out of the warehouse. Somebody had to find her, before she died. I called 911 and told them I was friends with the owner, and that someone had come and taken her out. That she looked like she'd been attacked. I drove on autopilot, and prayed to god that Lila forgave me. I drove all the way back to University Medical Center and went to where John was waiting. I sat down in the chair, shaking. John could tell something was up.

"You okay man?"

"Yeah, I just had to go and talk to Lila."

"Crazy bitch. I hope she dies…"

John said, not realizing what he'd said. I waited and sweated. I waited for the doctor to come out, but I couldn't get out of my head. I'd just murdered in cold blood. I wasn't a murderer, but I'd done it in cold blood. I watched as the doctor came out just a few minutes later, and I was stuck in my head.

"Mr. DiBiase, Cheryl is out of surgery. It was a success, and we're happy with the results. She's going to be in recovery in the next few minutes, and then you can see her."

"Thank you doctor."

I said, knowing that I needed to tell someone. I had to tell John the truth. I had to tell him I took a crowbar to Lila. I watched him as he studied me.

"Dude, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I have something to tell you. Lila's dead."

I said, knowing that it was make or break time. He'd either judge me, or turn me in. I knew I could trust him, I had to.

_Me! (Me!)_

_Yeah! (Yeah!)_

_All these things I hate revolve around_

_Me! (Me!)_

_Yeah! (Yeah!)_

_Just back off before I snap and you'll _

_See! (Me!)_

_Me! (Me!)_

_All these things I hate revolve around_

_Me! (Me)_

_Yeah! (Yeah!)_

_Just back off before I snap_

_Torn apart at the seams and my dreams turn to tears_

_I'm not feeling this situation_

_Run away try to find a safe place you can hide_

_It's the best place to be when you're feeling like me_

_(It's the best place to be when you're feeling!)_

…And then I woke up. I was laying on a cot in the hospital room next to Cheryl. I shook my head, and realized it was a dream. I hadn't killed Lila. For all I knew, she was back in Brett's hotel room with him. I looked at the hospital bed, and saw my girl laying there staring at me. She had a pen and a piece of paper on the nightstand. She grabbed it and wrote on the pad. I smiled at her and kissed her forehead gently.

"I'm fine baby, promise. I had a bad dream that I'd killed Lila. No worries, I'm fine."

Cheryl tried laughing, but stopped when she realized it hurt. I stroked her hair and smiled at her. I was relieved that it hadn't really happened. But I couldn't believe that I'd thought that way. I smiled and watched as she drifted off to sleep. I had to call Stephanie and explain to her what had happened. I would, but I was going to stay here where I needed to be. With Cheryl, making sure she got better.

_Me! (Me!)_

_Yeah! (Yeah!)_

_All these things I hate revolve around_

_Me! (Me!)_

_Yeah! (Yeah!)_

_Just back off before I snap and you'll _

_See! (Me!)_

_Me! (Me!)_

_All these things I hate revolve around_

_Me! (Me)_

_Yeah! (Yeah!)_

_Just back off before I snap_

**A/N: I had to do it that way! Lol. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the twist! The song is 'All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)' by Bullet For My Valentine…read and review! I enjoy the reviews! They make the story possible!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I had been kidnapped by a crazy woman, and injured my jaw and I'm not working. Well, okay yeah, I am. Just not out of my office. Ted's been amazing to me and I feel like sometimes I don't deserve him. But now I knew how to love. Ted brought Adam and the kids over, and we hung out. That's when things changed between all of us…..

**Two weeks previously…**

I hadn't been expecting Adam to bring the twins over. I was sure he wouldn't want the girls to see me before I was fully healed. I walked to the door and opened it and there they were. I tried to smile when the girls hugged me, but I couldn't. Then Adam hugged me. I couldn't believe it. Ted walked in behind them and kissed me softly on the one side of my face.

"The girls were adamant about seeing you, though Adam had protested. The stitches are out, you don't look hideous. So, I told him to bring them by. He was a little nervous understandably. Come on honey."

He said, leading me to the couch. I watched as the girls looked at me. They were curious as to why Mommy was carrying around a white marker board. I watched as Adam spoke softly to the girls.

"Mari, Sunny, remember when I told you Mommy got hurt? Well, she can't talk for a little while. But she has the marker board. So she can talk that way."

"Okay daddy, " Mariah said. Then she turned to me and looked at me. She came over to me and gently climbed into my lap. But then she whispered a question into my ear.

"Mommy, are you going to marry Mr. Teddy?"

My eyes widened and I chuckled inside of my throat. I thought long and hard about that answer, but wrote down on the white board.

"_He hasn't asked me to, yet. But if he does, I will."_

And then Ted read that answer aloud. He blushed, because right away he knew what the question and answer were. I loved my daughters, and I knew that Ted loved them too, but we needed to give them something. I erased my answer to Mariah's question and wrote one for Adam and Ted. I didn't know how well it was going to go over, but I tried it anyway.

"_Adam, I want to give the girls something. I want to give them a room of their own in the house. I'm their mother, too and I want them to be able to spend the night."_

And I held it up to him. I watched as he read the white board. Instead of speaking like a normal person he grabbed the white board, and erased what I had written. He started writing like a madman and then he held the white board up.

"_You have changed so much. Ted's mellowed you, and you don't even realize it. That's an amazing thing, you know that. So I'm going to give you what you want. The girls can have a room here in the house."_

I smiled widely. I hadn't realized that he was going to be so agreeable. I walked over to him and hugged him as best as I could. I watched as he stood up and told the girls that they were getting their own bedroom at mommy's because they were going to start sleeping over….

**Present Day…**

That was two weeks ago, and after the girls telling us what color they each wanted their rooms, the time has come to show them. They were adamant about having separate rooms, because at Adam's house in Tampa, they shared the same room. We were gonna see how long that lasted, because they were twins. They were very close, and they couldn't stay away from each other. Ted was in the other room, painting Mariah's room a shade of blue, when he called out to me. I put the paint roller down, and ran over. I didn't know if something had happened, or what, but I knew I needed to go over. I walked over, holding my white board and writing furiously on it when he smiled.

"No, no I'm fine honey, honest. Look!"

He said, taking the board and marker away from me. I looked up and saw Mariah's finished room. It was beautiful. It was robin's egg blue, and it had Mariah's name on the wall in Winnie The Pooh block lettering. She was going to love it. I hugged Ted and smiled at him. I looked at my watch and squealed.

"What honey?"

I took the white board from him and erased everything. I wrote on it. I had to go to the doctor to check my jaw, make sure everything was healing properly.

"_Babe, I have a doctor's appointment today. Remember? We're determining if the plate is healing nicely and when I can have my jaw unwired and go back to work."_

"Okay honey, come on then, I'll take you."

He said, leading me out of the house. We got into the car and I smiled at him. I was so nervous, because things were going right for me. I didn't want to mess things up by being able to talk again. Ted could tell I looked agitated, so he looked at me.

"_What?"_

"Honey, are you okay? You seem a little agitated."

"_Agitated? Teddy, you try not talking for two weeks. Do you know how hard it is to sit in a creative meeting and not say a damn word? I'm the head of Creative, Ted! So, all I have to do is wait for Doctor Edwards to clear me, and then I can talk again."_

"Aww honey, I'm sorry. I know how much you like to work."

"_No! It's more than that! I have to work. It makes me feel like I'm worth something. I love you, Teddy. I know you've got tons of money, but I've grown up knowing what it was like not having hardly any money. I'm okay with budgeting. I don't want you to think you have to protect me."_

And I knew that would make him mad. I never needed money to be happy. He knew that. By this time we were back at the hospital, and I watched as he took my hand. He kissed it softly, and moved some hair out of my face.

"Angel, listen to me, okay? You're it for me. You're the only one I want, now and forever. Mariah, Sunny and Bailey. We're a family. We're going to go inside and make sure that you're fine…then we're going to make it official."

"_Official how?"_

"I want to marry you. I heard what Mari asked you. I also remember your stand on marriage. I have a ring, and I am going to ask you properly, just not today."

I couldn't write anything. So, I wrote the only words I could think of. I kissed him and got out of the car. I headed inside and left him sitting there. He followed me out of the car and into the hospital, holding the white board. He showed it to me and I nodded.

"_I've considered myself Cheryl DiBiase for the last two months, Ted. So here's your answer. Ted and Cheryl DiBiase."_

And we waited until Doctor Edwards came down the hall to us. She smiled at us and escorted us into her office. We sat down and Ted took my hand. I was nervous for the results. But she just smiled and read the file.

"Cheryl, your jaw is healing well. We are going to monitor you for the next week, just to make sure that this is no fluke. After your appointment then, we'll determine whether or not we're going to unwire your jaw."

I nodded, knowing that I could tolerate another week. I had another creative team meeting, but I knew that Stephanie could run it for me, as long as I had the note from the doctor. I had expected something like this to happen, and I knew that today was one of the days I had to go to the office, and I figured I'd take Ted as a buffer.

"So, where to now my love?"

"_WWE Headquarters. I've got to take my note to Stephanie."_

"Think she'll be pissed?"

I nodded. There was a change in Stephanie's attitude towards me since I'd gotten kidnapped and surgically repaired. We got to the headquarters and I walked in. I showed them my security badge and was waved in. I got to the tenth floor where my office was and walked in. And there were Lila and Stephanie sitting at my desk.

"Oh my god, hey Cheryl."

Stephanie said, standing up to greet me. Ted had stopped at one of the soda machines that was just down the hall from my office, so he didn't know Lila was here. But then I had this feeling that the world was going to crash down around me. I looked at my office door and that's when I saw it. The name on the door.

_**Delilah Foxwood-DiBiase, Head of Creative**_

I wanted to throw up. I started scribbling down some stuff on my white board and glared at Stephanie. I held it up to her and watched as she read it. I saw her face fall when she realized what I'd said. Ted had come down the hall and poked his head in.

"What the hell is this?"

"Ted, we've decided that Cheryl can't do her job to the best of her ability while her jaw is wired shut. So, Stephanie called me and asked me to come and be the head of creative, just until she got back on her feet."

I didn't buy it for one damn second, and neither did Ted. I dropped the white board on the floor and walked out. It was then that everyone knew what I'd written on the board.

"_You've betrayed me before, Steph. And against my better judgment I've forgiven you. This is the ultimate betrayal. Lila? Of all people to take my job you pick Lila? I hope your ratings drop, because I won't be privy to this. You want her to run this company into the ground, great. I hope she does. One more thing Steph, it's technically against the law for you to replace me while I have a doctor's note, so you will be hearing from my attorneys."_

I heard Ted say 'That's my girl' as he walked out of the room. The last thing that Stephanie or the WWE needed, but if she was going to make an example out of me, I was going to make an example of them. Because I knew that things were changing…and I didn't know how to handle that.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

This was like Adam all over again. Only this time, I wasn't dumping her. No way, I was going to ride this out with her, like a real man should. I watched as Cheryl suffered with this recent development. She was trying to cry, but with her jaw wired shut, she sounded like a whining puppy, which broke my heart. I held her as best I could, and smiled softly to her.

"I promise you, I'm not going anywhere."

She just nodded at me and I had to do something to fix this. I had to. I felt like this was my fault. Now I knew how she felt when she quit her job when Adam left her. I told her I'd be back, and I went into confront Stephanie and Lila myself. I got to Cheryl's office and opened the door and saw Lila and Stephanie sitting there.

"He needs a valet-"

"Get out, Stephanie. I need to talk to Lila alone."

I watched as Stephanie got up and left. It was so funny to see how easily Stephanie submitted sometimes. I sat down in front of Lila and raised my hand, so she could know just how serious I really was. I thought about what I was going to say, and then I said it.

"You kidnapped my girlfriend in an attempt to get me to sleep with you. Now you're taking over her job? It's like you're trying to take over her life!"

"I am! She's got you, Teddy. And what do I have? No job, a daughter who can only talk about how amazing she is, and someone who is a second rate replacement! So yes, I am taking over her life. It's Cheryl's fault she fell."

"Well Lila, I'm surprised. You never acted like this. You were always cold and indifferent to my feelings, and suddenly, when someone encroaches on Bailey's territory with you, suddenly you want the relationship and the job, when you've never wanted ANY of it before!"

She stood up and glared at me. She put her fist on the table and shook her head. I knew what she was getting ready to say, but I had to hear her out before I jumped all over her.

"For years, I stood by as the best friend. Waiting and thinking that I'd had a shot while you played the field. Then you met and married Kristen. We all knew that she was horrible for you. We all warned you that she was horrible for you! But you didn't listen. Where was your precious Cheryl when your divorce slammed you? Probably whoring herself out to Adam Copeland! I was there for you, Ted! Not her!"

I couldn't believe that she was throwing the divorce in my face. And the fact that Cheryl and I hadn't met yet. So this was about her being there for me when nobody else was? She was mad that Cheryl was in my life and couldn't change it. I wouldn't let Cheryl go. She'd walk if I let her go, but that was a claim I wasn't really willing to renounce.

"Cheryl and I hadn't met yet, Lila! Leave her out of this. It's not going to make much difference what you say to me about her. It isn't going to change how I feel. I love HER, Lila. And I'm going to marry her. Whether or not you agree, I am. And now, if no permanent changes have been made, Cheryl's office will be restored, her files put back in her filing cabinet and your name off of her door."

Lila stood up in a huff, and walked out of Cheryl's office. I dialed Cheryl's secretary and told her to change the name on the door. She told me she would and that she was happy that Lila wasn't in charge. I remember closing the door when I heard a sort of scream. I knew that Cheryl was in a huff about something. I ran down the hall and saw Cheryl holding up the white board. It was like she was screaming. I came into the office and translated for her.

"I don't know what the fuck you're doing to me Stephanie, but this isn't fair! I've gotten my life in order, my family back together, and a man who I believe truly loves me, and a great job! I get kidnapped by a psycho, and that suddenly goes away? No! I'm not doing this again. I am not going to let my life fall apart."

I watched as Stephanie tried to process all this information. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head. She threw her glasses down and that's when I knew that the bear was coming out.

"For your information, Cheryl. I did not go to Lila and ask her to take over your job! She came to me with a resignation note signed in your name! You did get your life in order, congratulations! I am so happy that the mean things that Adam said about you were, were untrue. I'm glad you've found someone who's going to love you, the way that Paul loves me! But you have to understand when someone comes to me with a resignation letter, I'm going to accept it."

I watched my girl, who I've nicknamed 'Strong Will' write furiously on her white board. She was near tears, and she was writing in all capital letters. Even better because I knew at that point, she was pissed.

"So when she brought you the letter, you didn't bother to check to make sure it was true? I was in the hospital having surgery to repair a broken jaw, and Ted and John Hennigan were both with me! You could've asked one of them! I'm sorry Stephanie, but this is a joke…are you telling me that you've processed my resignation papers?"

I looked at Stephanie. She picked up the manila folder and opened it and handed the papers to me. I opened the folder and read the papers inside. That's when I saw the letter that Lila had written.

"_To whom this letter may concern,_

_I, Cheryl Noelle Canton have regretfully decided to resign from my position as Head of Creative of World Wrestling Entertainment, citing the duties and responsibilities as too much pressure for my job. I name Delilah Foxwood as my replacement."_

And I crumpled the papers in my hands and I looked at the date. I knew that this was a fake letter. It was dated the day she went into surgery. And why would she name Delilah as her replacement. So, I asked that question.

"Delilah as Cheryl's replacement? Really? Really Steph, get real? Now…have these been filed?"

"No. Not yet. Lila jumped the gun in moving into Cheryl's office. I'm not an evil person, Ted. You know that. I'm looking out for the best interests of her. I want to know that she's capable to do her job."

I watched as Cheryl wiped away a tear and smiled a half smile at Stephanie. She furiously erased the message on the board and wrote something else. She held it up to Stephanie and then hugged her. I knew things were good again. Cheryl was going to be whole. I needed to do something. I had a ring in my pocket and I knew that she wanted to marry me. But I was going to wait until she could talk. I couldn't live without her, and I wasn't going to….and nobody, not even Lila could talk me out of it. I walked out into the hallway and Cheryl wrote on her board.

"_Do I still have a job?"_

"Yes baby, you do. Now come on, lets go."

I said, going to take her home. We were going to finish the bedrooms, and I wouldn't let anything come between that. I was going to spend the rest of my life making her happy.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Okay Cheryl, we're all set!"

Ted yelled up the stairs to me. We were going back to the doctor today to get everything checked out. We knew that hopefully Doctor Edwards would say that it was time to take the wiring out. As we were headed out of the house, my cell phone rang. Which is odd, because the only people that I talk to, knew my jaw was wired shut. It was the hospital, and I watched as Ted took my phone and answered it.

"Hello? Oh hello Doctor Edwards. Yes. Mhm. Okay, yep. I understand completely."

Ted said, hanging up the phone. He turned to look at me and handed my phone back to me. He eyed it warily, like it was one of those clamshell cellular phones from the 80s. He shook his head and I couldn't believe it.

"_What did Doctor Edwards want? And don't look at my cell phone that way. It isn't that old!"_

"Sure baby, and whatever you say. Doctor Edwards wanted us to come in a little bit early. She had gotten some test results back, and she wanted to go over them with us."

So I nodded. I wasn't worried. They always did medical tests before any kind of surgery, and they had done mine a week ago. Ted drove us to the hospital and we were shown to Doctor Edwards' office. Ted and I by this point had been together for almost three months, the pay-per-view, Elimination Chamber having passed. It wasn't an easy three months, but we made it work. We watched as Doctor Edwards came in. She sat at her desk and smiled at us warmly.

"Ted, Cheryl. I called you guys to come in here a little bit early, because the tests revealed something interesting."

I sat up. When a doctor says 'interesting' you know that things are either not good, or not bad, but it was interesting. I scribbled something on my board and Ted pulled it out of my hand and held it. He looked at her and asked the question I'd been wondering.

"What?"

"Well Ted, Cheryl. Congratulations."

"For what?"

"Cheryl's pregnant."

My jaw dropped and I couldn't believe it. I was sure I was most definitely not pregnant, but then I thought about it. Ted looked at me and I counted back. Then I nodded, because I realized that I was. It made sense that I would be. I watched as his face lit up, and then he leaned over and kissed me.

"I love you, baby."

He whispered to me. I nodded back to him and tried smiling. Though it was hard, with my mouth wired shut, but I managed a half smile. I turned back to Doctor Edwards and motioned to my face.

"We are planning to open you up today. Anesthesia will not hurt the baby. So, there's no reason to worry. We're going to admit you, and then operate today. I'll be there, and Ted will be in the waiting room."

And she handed me papers to fill out. They were all of the surgery papers and I signed them. We were to wait while I was admitted, and Ted and I celebrated. He stood me up and hugged me. I was so happy too.

"God sweetie, pregnant. I am so happy!"

He said, kissing me. I was stoked too. I wished I could show more emotions, but I couldn't. The door opened and Doctor Edwards made her way in. She smiled and looked at us like we couldn't be happier. And we couldn't. She had a wheelchair and I sat down in it.

"Okay Cheryl, let's get you into surgery."

She said, wheeling me into the hallway. Ted held my hand and I smiled warmly at him. I hadn't loved him as much as I did in this moment. He stayed with me as they wheeled me into the room I would be in. Ted was helping me get settled. He helped me put the robe on, and watched as I climbed into the bed.

"You're gonna be fine baby, I promise. I'll be right here for you when you wake up. And hopefully, I'll be able to hear that beautiful voice of yours."

**Ted's POV**

I nodded and watched as the anesthesiologist came in and started to put her under. Doctor Edwards was there in no time and they wheeled my girl out of the room. I followed them down the hall and kissed her on her forehead and told her I'd bring Bailey and the twins by to see her later. I waited for them to take her into the operating room and then I walked to the waiting room. I had several phone calls and text messages. I could call my mom back. I could call Brett back. I had to call Mike back, because he needed to meet Cheryl. Adam had shot me a text. I opened it up and read it.

"_**Cheryl's surgery today? Want to bring the girls by to see her afterwards."**_

So I wrote back to him telling him they just took her back to the operating room and I shared our awesome news with him. I answered a few more texts when Adam's response came back to me. I was surprised by what I saw.

"_**Congrats man. Cheryl's an awesome mom, and you'll make a great dad. Hell, you're both great parents. Text me when Cheryl's out of surgery. Where's Bailey, I'll stop by and pick her up."**_

"Should be at Lila's. Brett will gladly hand her over. Don't know if Lila will. If she doesn't let me know."

I wrote back to him. I called Stephanie and told her what was going on, and she told me to let Cheryl know how sorry she was, and that her job was perfectly safe. I appreciated that and shot a text to Brett.

"Hey buddy. Cheryl's in surgery, and Adam's going to come by to pick up Bailey. Is she with you?"

My phone buzzed a few minutes later. I looked at the message and smiled when he'd approved the agreement. He said that Adam was allowed to come by and pick her up, just to have her back by seven, because he was taking her out to the newest kiddie restaurant. I agreed and saw another text come through. It was from my lawyer, Shay.

"**Got the dish on Lila. You won't believe what she does in her free time. Moving ahead with full custody papers?"**

Now I was curious, so I dialed Shay's office. Her secretary patched me through and I waited until she picked up. I had a couple hours to kill while I waited for Cheryl to get out of surgery, and I figured I could discuss this with her.

"Shay Stone?"

"Shay, it's Ted. I just got your text. I'm sorry. My girlfriend Cheryl is having surgery, and I have been with her."

"No problem, Teddy. Apparently Little Miss Lila hasn't been exactly straight with anyone. I've sent my private investigator out to follow her around the different cities. And it looks like Miss Foxwood has been cavorting with someone who isn't her fiancee."

I was shocked. I hadn't known that she was cheating on Brett. I knew that I had to protect Brett from Lila. I knew that. So then my instinct kicked in. I asked the question that I probably shouldn't have.

"Did he see who it was?"

"Oh yes. It was Jillian Hall."

I couldn't believe this. Jillian Hall and Lila? This wasn't happening to me, but then I realized that this was Lila. She did things like this to feel better about herself. Then I knew she wasn't in it because she loved Brett.

"Go ahead with it, Shay. File the full custody papers. Also two restraining orders. One on behalf of me, one on behalf of my girlfriend, Cheryl Canton."

"Will do."

She said, hanging up. I knew at that point, that I had to protect Cheryl and the unborn baby, and Bailey. And I was going to do my damndest to make sure she never got hurt again.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I looked around the unfamiliar room. I then remembered that I was in the hospital. I was having surgery to un-wire my jaw. I looked over and my poor Teddy was knocked out cold. His head was on the bed, so I rubbed it softly. I watched as he raised his head and looked at me. He was a little discombobulated, which was like Teddy. He rubbed his eyes and smiled warmly at me once he got his bearings back.

"Hey beautiful."

I wondered how it would be when I started talking. I knew that it was going to be scary, but I was going to try. I held his hand and kissed it. He could tell I was nervous about opening my mouth to talk, but I knew that I had to sooner or later. So, I opened my mouth to talk and I giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"I don't know."

I said to him, and I felt fine. Sure, there was a little bit of pain, but I had just gotten surgery, so that was to be expected. I sat up and leaned over and kissed Teddy. Something I hadn't done in almost two weeks. I pulled back and smiled as I felt the shot of pain that reminded me that I shouldn't be kissing him this way. I grinned and couldn't help it.

"That was amazing."

"Agreed."

Ted said, climbing into bed with me. He could tell just how lost I looked. I'd been so out of it that I wasn't sure what was a dream, and what reality was. I knew that my reality was Ted. And he was laying in the hospital bed with me.

"Baby, I'm so happy to hear your voice."

"I'm happy to be able to talk now. Do you know how dopey I looked carrying around a white board?"

"I know baby. But, I do have a surprise for you."

And then he got up off the bed and walked over to the door. He opened it and standing there was Adam with the twins and Bailey. He picked up Bailey and carried her over to the bed. Adam shook his hand then brought the twins up and kissed me softly on the forehead.

"How do you feel?"

"Better now that the girls are here. Thanks Adam."

"No problem. Congratulations on the baby, Cheryl. You're going to be a great mom."

Adam said to me. I wasn't shocked that Ted had told him about the baby. I watched as they all asked me a ton of questions, and I answered every one of them as best as I could. Then the doctor poked her head in.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…hold on. There are way too many people out here. Now, the kids can stay. But anyone who doesn't belong here, can't stay."

"But Doctor Edwards, I feel fine. Adam brought my twin daughters and Ted's daughter, Bailey. There isn't anything wrong here."

Doctor Edwards shooed everyone out of the room while she did an exam on me. She checked my vitals, and then ran some tests on the baby. Everything had turned out fine, and she had given me an optimistic outlook.

"Your jaw is healing properly. The plate in it is titanium mesh, so it adheres right to your face. There's no need to keep it wired, because it's just about healed. So, we'll keep an eye on things. We're going to keep you here for a couple days just for observation."

I nodded and watched as Teddy looked like he was a man on fire. He looked like he was blaming himself for this whole thing. I'd make him see how untrue this was, soon enough. I kissed the girls and told them that I'd visit them just as soon as I got out to show them their bedrooms. They got excited about that, and Adam came over and kissed me on the forehead. He and Ted had to leave to get to a show, and I wasn't exactly thrilled about that but I was going to get over it. Ted looked at me and watched the door close.

"Baby, I've got to fly out tonight."

"I know."

"You gonna be okay?"

"I'm gonna try, Teddy. I know that you're going to be home in three days, so it's okay."

"I promise you, I'll be home before you know it."

I nodded my head and watched as he kissed me. He kissed me long and hard and promised he'd be home in three days. And I sat in the hospital bed and cried. This was what it was like being a girlfriend of a WWE superstar, and I wondered what would happen when our baby was born. Would he dash off after he or she was born? I watched as the door opened again and Stephanie stepped in with Ted in tow.

"Are you an idiot, Ted? Your girlfriend just had surgery, and you're leaving for a show? Seriously? What's going to happen when the baby's born. We've already replaced you on the show tonight. Stay here with her."

And suddenly things got better. Stephanie came over and sat down on the bed next to me. I knew that things were strained between her and I, but I'd do what I could to make things better. I watched as she leaned forward to whisper to me.

"I was so worried about you, Cheryl. I didn't realize just how crazy Delilah truly was."

"Me either, but apparently she walks free. So, it's whatever. I'm focused now on the baby and Ted. And raising our kids properly, as a family. And that is our main priority."

"Agreed. Brett has no biological claim on Bailey, and Lila is an unfit mother. My lawyer is making sure that Lila's rights are revoked."

I hadn't seen Teddy this passionate in awhile, and quite frankly I liked it. I watched as Stephanie asked him who his lawyer was. Her eyes widened when Teddy said Shay's name. Steph knew that name well. Stephanie's sister, Alison recommended her highly. Ali and Steph weren't always on the best of terms, but they loved each other. Alison was actually married to Stephanie's best friend, Mark Callaway and worked for TNA Wrestling. Ali actually owned TNA Wrestling with Jeff Jarrett and was responsible for the removal of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff.

"Ali gave Shay over to you? She didn't even give ME Shay when I needed her for the harassment suit! She must like you, Teddy."

"Eh, I think it's Cheryl she adores. Anyway, Shay's uncovered some information about Lila, that my brother needs to know."

"What?"

Ted shook his head. It was common knowledge that Stephanie was a horrible gossip. And Ted wasn't going to tell her anything, until Brett knew. I didn't blame him. Not one bit. I watched from the bed as Ted escorted Stephanie out, and then came back and sat on the bed.

"As much as I hate being away from you, I've got to go and talk to Brett. I've got to show him these files and photos before Lila gets back to him."

In order for us to move forward, I knew that he had to go do this, but I had kind of wanted to be there with him. But I also respected this was something he had to do alone. I hadn't realized just how much this would tear him up.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

I didn't know how to deal with it. I had all this information at my fingertips and I just wanted to avoid using it at all costs. But as I sat here, I realized that it should better come from me, then from getting papers in the mail. I stepped out of my car and walked into the hotel. I knew Brett would be at the hotel all day, but I didn't know if he'd gone to work out or not. I took the elevator to the tenth floor and walked to his room. I knew that this could make or break our relationship, but it just had to be me. I knocked and waited until the door opened. I hugged him briefly then after his invite to come in, I sat at the table and put the files down.

"What are they?"

"These are some files my lawyer gave me."

"You making Cheryl sign a pre-nuptial agreement?"

I laughed. I should consider asking her about a pre-nup to see what she said, but how could I be sure she wouldn't be offended.

"It is not a prenup. Actually, my lawyer called me today and told me that she had some information she wanted you to take a look at."

And I watched as he opened the folder. I saw his eyes go wide a little bit, and then I knew what I had to do. I had to protect Brett. He was my baby brother. I realized that Lila was a man eater. But when Brett turned back to look at me, I realized that he was pissed. That was not the reaction I was expecting.

"What is this, Ted? You think Lila's cheating on me? With Jillian Hall of all people? Seriously? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

I was not expecting that response. I was expecting him to be a little more happier. Well, definitely not happier, but definitely grateful for helping him. He didn't believe that these things were happening to him. I didn't blame him, because quite frankly, if Cheryl had done something like this to me, I'd be denying it as well. I knew that this would take some work for Brett to get, so I decided to be honest.

"I am seeking sole custody of Bailey. After what Lila did to Cheryl and I, I have come to the conclusion that she is not fit to be a parent. Not even to my daughter. Let's face it, Brett…she isn't fit. Not now, not ever."

Brett glared at me, and I knew what was going to happen. He was going to hit me, and I guess I'd deserve it, sure. But I was going to be in for a nasty fight. If I pissed off Brett, he'd align himself with Lila. But he didn't do what I thought he was going to do. He reached down and flipped open the envelope. Then he looked closely at the pictures. He could see how true they were. And that's when he sat down.

"This is true….I could have realized that. But I chose not to. Lila isn't the woman I need. She's so demanding, and over bearing, and annoying! I can't do this anymore."

He said, picking up the phone. He called Lila over to his room and I waited until she came in. Lila glared at me like she was pissed over something. I'm sure she is. She's got a lot of reason to be pissed. Cheryl was the main woman in my life, Cheryl was the reason I lived, and she's the one I wanted.

"What?"

She said coldly. Brett looked at her and slid the file folder over to her. But before she opened it, he slammed his hand on top of it. He looked at her, and then looked at me. He turned his head back to her and flipped open the envelope. It took a few minutes before Lila comprehended what it was, but then her eyes went wide. She looked at me, then to Brett, than to me again.

"What's this?"

"This is my out, Delilah."

"You're out? Brett honey, what are you talking about?"

"You and Jillian? Really? Seriously Lila? I can overlook you kidnapping Cheryl, I can overlook your betrayal of Ted. But I can't overlook the cheating."

And then Lila came over to me as she looked through the pictures. I had her, and she knew it. I watched as she stood in front of me. She reached up and slapped me, hard. It was like she knew that I had something to do with it. I did, but of course she didn't need to know that.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You had something to do with this! I know you did!"

"Damn right I did. By the way, here!"

I said, handing her another packet. She opened the folder and her face got red. I didn't know what her next reaction was going to be and I don't know if I want to. She looked over them and looked up at me.

"Absolutely not."

"Li, she's my daughter. I have the right to her. And you, Lila? After all of the shit you've pulled, you don't have the right to her. Quite frankly, if you came near her, I'd be afraid of you trying to kidnap her. I'm terrified that I have to look around the corner everyday, and realize that she's not there if that happened. No, I won't do it. I'm sorry Delilah, but this is the way it has to be."

And I watched Lila's face change. It changed from something of anger to disappointment. I watched as she picked up some papers off the table and flung them across the room. I watched as the papers scattered and then she proceeded to glare at me. And that's when all hell broke loose.

"You think that I am going to let you ruin my life? Absolutely not. I am going to live my life and be happy, and I'm doing it without you in it. I am going to just believe in myself again, and hope for the best. But Ted, one thing's for certain…I will not let you take Bailey from me. She's my daughter too, and she loves me with no judgment or bitterness from you. And I can't let you take my whole life from me. I won't let you. I've got lawyers to handle this!"

"So do I. I've got the best in the business, Lila. Shay will fight this with me. As will Alison and Mark, and Cheryl as well. We'll all testify that you did kidnap Cheryl and threatened her life, and that I don't want that influence on my daughter."

Lila looked agitated. I knew she was buckling. She couldn't stand the thought of someone else raising Bailey, and she sat down at the table. She started to cry, and that's when everything changed. She wiped away the tears and looked at me. She knew I was right. She picked the papers up off the floor and signed them. My jaw dropped and I knew that she was happy about the decision.

"Take her. You wanted her, and I didn't. You can have her. She wasn't mine. She was never mine. I got pregnant because you wanted me to. I don't love her. I had fought to keep her because she was my missing link to you. And I know, this girl…whoever she is. This insignificant little girl, Cheryl, has turned your head from me…and so I quit."

And then I found myself protecting Cheryl. I looked at Lila and then shook my head. I wasn't going to let her talk bad about the woman I loved.

"You don't know her, Lila. At all. She knows me, she loves me, and she accepts me."

And then I walked out with the papers in my hand, to a future that makes me happier more and more everyday. I was so happy, because life was moving swimmingly. And that's when I knew I had to make an important decision.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Honey, I have something to tell you…"

I was in the kitchen, trying to start dinner, when he walked into the kitchen. He was intently studying his cell phone. He'd apparently gotten a text message from someone and was answering it. I turned to look at him and he looked back up at me.

"What?"

"Brett kind of spilled the beans to my parents about you and I. So, now they're adamant about you coming to meet them."

I rolled my eyes and stirred the pot that contained the green beans. This was one of those rare occasions where we were home together. I didn't want to meet his parents. I had no desire to, but it was time to. I bent down and took the steak out of the broiler and placed it on the counter. I turned back to look at him.

"Brett had no business telling your parents about us. I'm quite happy not having your parents know about us, but whatever. I guess it has to happen."

"Hon, we've talked about this. Ted and Melanie may not of approve of us doing things backwards with getting pregnant first, but they're going to love you."

And that's when I got nervous. There wasn't anyway that Ted and Melanie DiBiase were going to love me. They were going to abhor me. And that's what scared me the most. Was the fact that we were going to meet his parents. He hadn't left yet. He was buttering me up for the worst part.

"Okay, fine. But when are the three of us going?"

"Not three, five."

"Five?"

I counted on my hands. I then looked at him. I scooped the green beans into a bowl and handed the bowl to him. He carried it out to the kitchen and then I set the dinner plates on the table. I turned to look at him.

"You, me, Bay, Sunny and Mari?"

I nodded like I couldn't believe it. The fact that Adam was going to let us take the twins to Mississippi was epic. We called Bailey into the dining room for dinner, and we talked. Bailey asked us what we were talking about and that's when Ted told her.

"Bay, how would you like to go with Mari and Sunny to see Gramma and Grampy?"

"Really dad?"

She exclaimed. Ted nodded and then she got out of the chair and hugged Teddy and I. She climbed back into her chair and started eating her dinner again. Ted and I talked and then cleared the table together. Bailey went into the living room to watch TV, and I called Adam.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mr. Copeland!"

"Hiya Miss Canton. What brings you to call me at this blessed hour?"

"Oh hush you. Listen, do you have a few minutes because I need to ask you a question."

"Okay, shoot."

"I was wondering if it would be okay for me to take the girls for the weekend. I'm going to meet Ted's parents for the first time. And we want to take Bailey. And then Ted said he'd like it if the twins could go, kind of keeping Bailey company."

"I don't see why not. When are you guys leaving?"

"In a couple days. Ted's got one more appearance to make on the road, and I've got to finish the Smackdown script, but then we're on vacation. I can fly down and pick them up, but then fly right from Tampa to Mississippi."

"Sounds good. I'll be backstage at Smackdown on Tuesday, so why don't I let you take them, then?"

"Sounds like a plan Adam, thanks!"

I said, hanging up. I turned back to Ted and grinned. He didn't know that Adam had agreed so easily. But you know, Adam and I were seeing eye to eye more now, and I did like that.

"Adam said he'd give me the twins on Tuesday at the Smackdown taping."

"Awesome. So, now that dinner's cleaned up, why don't I take my two favorite girls out for ice cream."

"Ice cream!"

I said, hopping on Teddy's back and demanding a piggy back ride which he gleefully gave me. We went out, and then went about our day. A couple days later, I arrived at the arena to find the twins waiting for me. They had their suitcases packed and were standing with Adam.

"Mommy!"

The squealed running over to me. I hugged them and thanked Adam over their heads. I knew that this was going to be fun for the kids. I didn't know about me. I was nervous as hell, and Adam could sense that.

"Be yourself."

"Be myself? You know what'll happen then? The DiBiase's will kick me clean out."

"You'll do fine. Teddy, you're gonna take care of my girls right?"

"Will do, Adam. I promise I won't let anything to happen to Mariah or Sunny."

"I also mean with Cheryl too. I know how your parents can be. If they say anything off color and Cheryl calls me, I'll rip your eyes out. Got it?"

I laughed and hugged Adam. He said goodbye to the girls and we were off to Mississippi. It was going to be an interesting turn of events, and I was pretty nervous the whole flight there. Ted kept grabbing my hand to keep from shaking and when the plane landed, I knew this was going to get worse. It was escalating into a full blown panic attack. In front of the kids no less, which was going to make them panic. But then I sat down on the bench. Ted had the kids gathered in front of us, and he sat down next to me. He pulled me into his arms and held me.

"Cheryl Canton, I love you. You're the one I'm going to spend the rest of my life with, okay? Sure, we're doing this backwards, but I promise you that Ted and Melanie will love you. And Mari and Sunny. And if they don't. I don't care."

And that right there, made me realize just how right Ted was. He didn't care what his family thought of me, and I shouldn't either. As we stood up together and headed out to our rental car, I realized that we were a family of one. No matter what. And sure we were doing things backwards, with getting pregnant first, but Teddy loved me. Now it was just up to me to make his parents love me too.


	21. Chapter 21

_Chapter 21_

_As we arrived at the big white house on the hill, I thought back just a few months previously. I remember coming back here and having them tell me that Brett and Lila were engaged. It was different now, I was coming back here to tell them how I felt about Cheryl. As I parked the car, I sat there with my little family and smiled softly. I loved what we had, and nobody was going to stand there and tell me otherwise. I got out of the car and went around to open Cheryl's door. She stepped out and I kissed her softly, then she helped me get all the kids out of the car. All three of them were sleeping, so we carried them up to the door and rang the doorbell. We waited as the door opened and Ted stood there, looking at us._

"_Son! What are you doing here?"_

"_Hey dad. Good to see you too. I brought some important people I'd love for you to meet. But first, can you take Bailey. She's slipping."_

_I said, handing Bailey off to my dad. He took her handily and Cheryl and I and the twins made our way inside. Dad directed me to the den where we laid all three girls and then we went into the kitchen. I pulled a chair out for Cheryl and watched as my mom joined us in the kitchen. We all had coffee and pound cake and then Ted spoke up._

"_So, what's up son?"_

"_Mom, Dad. I'm sure Brett has mentioned something about this, but this is Cheryl Canton. She's my girlfriend."_

"_Girlfriend? What about Lila?"_

_And that's when I knew that this was going to get just a little bit tricky. It was going to be even harder to explain that Cheryl was pregnant. But, I was just about to speak, Cheryl spoke up._

"_Lila isn't in Ted's life. Some circumstances have arisen where Lila put herself in certain situations where Ted had to make a decision. And he made the right decision."_

_She said. She was not charming Ted, but Melanie was. I could see it was written all over her face. I grasped her hand and she squeezed it, and I knew that everything would be okay, regardless of what they thought of our relationship._

"_Mom, Dad. Lila has signed custody papers to give me sole custody of Bailey. So, she'll be around a little bit more. But, I have a bit more news for you."_

_And this is where it got scary. Because I knew that Cheryl was going to weigh their reaction against what they think. But, I decided to start slow. I decided to tread lightly and explain how we met._

"_Okay son, first though, tell us how you two met."_

"_Gladly. Cheryl and I met after a show in Baltimore, Maryland. She was a fan at a show, and I noticed her in the crowd. I will say, she isn't a ring rat. Turns out, she actually had a background in WWE before. She'd worked on the creative side of things and had a bad relationship which produced the two little girls we were holding on the way in. She left WWE and lived a life of virtual solitude. She got a different job, and lived a quiet life. That is, until I called her and asked her to be my fake girlfriend. And then I knew that there was something there. Once I got to know her, I couldn't live without her."_

_And I heard her sniffle. She was crying. She put her head on my shoulder and it was then I knew that I couldn't live without her, and wouldn't. She understood me, and she loved me. I handed her a tissue and watched as she dabbed her eyes. But my dad wasn't hearing it._

"_Fake girlfriend?"_

"_Yeah, Lila had told me that her and Brett were getting married and that she was going to try and keep Bailey from me. So, I enlisted Cheryl in getting her back. We hadn't really planned on falling for each other, we just did."_

"_Miss Canton, what do you do for a living?"_

"_I'm the Head writer of WWE Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown. I co-head write WWE NXT and I'm the mother of two beautiful twin girls. And I love Ted."_

"_I'm glad you do, Cheryl. But you have to understand, we have things we have to protect. Are you with him for the money?"_

"_What? I don't think that is any of your business, Mr. DiBiase. But no. The money has nothing to do with it. Nothing. And the fact that you think so, shows me you're the most close minded man ever. And obviously the only thing you're curious about is protecting your fortune. Protect this."_

_Cheryl said, and she flipped off my dad. And then she got up from the table and walked out the front door. So this vacation to Clinton was not starting off well. I glared at my dad and watched my mom's reaction. She sat there and looked away. It was then I exploded._

"_How dare you both? You sit there and make judgment calls based on her job. You have no right to judge her. None. Yeah, she's had a hard life, but she's left her friends and her family to have a life with me. If you'd had know half the shit that Adam Copeland had put her through to make her so closed off. She was so worried about you guys not liking her, and I swore to her that you guys wouldn't judge her. See, this is why I don't bring anyone home! Cheryl, Mari and Sunny are my life now. Right up there with Bailey. You can disinherit me, you can scream and tell me that she's not welcome in this house. But I guarantee you, that if she doesn't come then I won't either."_

_And I stood up and walked out to the car. Cheryl wasn't there. I watched this jean clad figure walking towards the barn and I smiled. She was going to see the horses. She was a city girl, she'd never been around farm animals a day in her life. I headed up to the barn with her, and she sensed my presence._

"_Teddy."_

"_Baby, what are you doing up here?"_

"_Well, I figure that since your parents hate me, I wouldn't let them see me cry. And I didn't want to go to the car, because you'd coax me to come back into the house. Teddy, I don't fit in here. I wanna go home."_

"_No, remember? We said we'd fight them. We're not going to let Melanie and Ted win. We will fight them. We have to. You, Mari and Sunny and Bailey. We're family. And we don't need the DiBiase approval to be one. So, I was gonna do this tonight, but since we're still alone, I figured now it's a good a time as any."_

_And I dropped to one knee. I fished the ring out of my pocket and opened the box and watched her face. She hadn't been expecting it. She sat down in front of me and smiled as I continued on._

"_Cheryl Canton, you are my whole life. Sunshine and Mariah are as well. I've already talked to Adam about this, and he's on board. Cheryl Naomi Canton. Will you marry me?"_

_And she started to cry. She kissed me softly and nodded. We were engaged. I slipped the sapphire and ruby ring onto her finger and smiled. My family was complete. And I couldn't be any happier. We knew that we had to get back to the house so when the kids woke up, they wouldn't be nervous. But when we got there, Ted and Melanie were playing with all three of them. It was going to be an interesting couple days._


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

You ever look through bridal magazines as a child and realize you wanted to plan your wedding the way you thought it should be? Well, growing up I never planned my wedding, because I never wanted to be married. But then Ted made me realize that I should want to get married. So, as we lay together in the bed at his parents house, I smiled at him. This was my future. Marrying an awesome man, and having a baby. I couldn't believe my luck. I snuggled into Ted and he kissed my head.

"So, are you happy?"

"I am. I mean your parents don't like me, but that's okay. I'm used to parents not liking me. And I don't care, personally. But, I figure we can talk about baby names."

"Okay. Do we know what we're having yet?"

"No, but I figure that we should be prepared just in case. I'm not really feeling like weird hippie names like I did with Mariah and Sunshine. And you've already got a Bailey. So I figure, if it's a girl we could call her Masen Leighanne."

I watched Ted weigh the options. I knew that he wasn't going to love it, but then I presented him with other names, but he wasn't feeling them. We briefly discussed boy names, in case it were a boy and he was set on having a Michael Joshua. We had decided that if it were a boy he'd be Michael Joshua DiBiase, but he was still stuck in between Carolyn Grace or Masen Leighanne.

"You can't call Masen anything but Masen. Where as, with Carolyn you can call her 'Lyn' or 'Carrie'. I think I like Masen though. It's catchy."

"So, Masen Leighanne DiBiase or Michael Joshua DiBiase. I like that."

"Me too."

Ted said, as there was a knock on the door. The kids were asleep for the night, and we didn't know who it was. Ted padded over to the bedroom door and opened it, and his mom stood there. I was shocked, and quite frankly so was he. But I stood up and went over with him.

"Hey kids."

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"Can I talk to you and Cheryl, son? May I come in?"

We backed off and let his mom come in. She sat down on a chair that had been in the corner of the room. We sat down on the bed with each other and watched as his mom began speaking, and it was surprising.

"Teddy, Cheryl. Imagine our surprise when you come in here and tell us you're dating. It's even worse when we find out from Brett. What happened with you and Lila, son?"

"Lila and I weren't meant to be together. I didn't know how I felt about Cheryl until I spent time with her. I asked her to be my fake girlfriend so I could fight Lila for custody of Bailey. But Cheryl was broken. Adam Copeland had torn her apart, and I spent precious hours and days building her up. When she finally gave me a glimpse of that beautiful heart, I knew I was head over heels. I wanted her mom, I needed her. And I was so glad. Then when we had established ourselves I knew we'd be together for awhile. Then, in a heinous act, Lila tried taking her from me. Lila kidnapped Cheryl and held her for a day. On top of shattering her jaw. Which is evidenced in the scar that runs from her temple to her chin. She's got a steel plate there. And then we found out we were pregnant…"

And I saw the look on Melanie DiBiase's face. She wasn't happy. But how did I know that she was mad at me? I didn't, but I was about to defend myself to a woman who didn't want me to love her son. And quite frankly I didn't like it, but I had to do it.

"Look Melanie, I know you seemingly don't like me. And I don't care if you do. What you need to know is three little things. One, I love your son and his daughter. Ted and Bay are my entire life. Two, I will not let anyone stand in my way of loving Teddy. And three, I know you're super religious. Trust me, once upon a time, I'd been there. But bitterness made me forget about pursuing a religion. I had once asked God why he took Mariah and Sunny from me, and he didn't answer. So I don't pursue it. But that won't stop me from loving Ted. Never."

And I answered so emphatically, that even Ted could feel the love in the speech that I had made. I didn't know if Melanie believed it, and I didn't care. All I could see was that she was not believing this at all. She was seriously dismayed at the fact that Ted could love someone who was beneath him. Ted shook his head and went to open his mouth, but Melanie raised her hand to signal that she wanted to talk.

"I get it, I know you two love each other. I can see it written all over your faces. But love is never enough. It isn't. You have to work at it, to have financial freedom to attain that love you swear you have. Love is never enough."

"Damn it mom! You've been drilling that into my head for years, and do you know how I don't believe that? Mike got a prenuptial agreement for him and Lucy. Brett was going to get a prenuptial agreement for him and Delilah before they got married, but I can't bring myself to do it. I know my feelings for Cheryl. It took me a long time to stand up and admit that to myself. But I'm not going to dump her to marry someone who is 'financially stable.' Get over it mom, I'm marrying her. I just asked her, and she said yes."

Melanie looked horrified, and so did I. And that's when I knew that nothing would change Melanie's mind. And I didn't want to. I was going to prove to her that you didn't need money to be happy. I mean Ted wasn't going to be disowned, and he'd come into the money that his grandparents left for him when he turned 25, and he invested well. So it was hard for me to see that.

"I'm glad you're making an honest woman out of her. Just remember what I said, Teddy. Financial stability."

"No mom. I won't. And if you don't mind, Cheryl and I are super tired. We're taking the kids and leaving tomorrow."

Ted said, and I knew he was betrayed. His parents were being villains about this whole thing. We watched as Melanie walked out of the room. I hugged him softly and knew that he'd need me. He turned to look at me and smiled.

"What?"

"I love you."

"I know. I love you too."

"So you don't care what my parents think?"

"I told you I didn't. The only thing I'm really worried about is how you feel, and what you want. Not what your parents think."

And then he kissed me. But just before anything could start, Ted Sr. walked into the bedroom and he wanted to talk to us. We sat up and looked at him. He sat down in the chair. We watched as he confronted us. But before he could say anything, he hugged me. Ted DiBiase, Sr. hugged me. It was very weird, but I accepted it. I sat back down and he looked at me.

"Cheryl. We don't know you. And we're okay with that. And these two darling daughters of yours, they're just so amazing. And they look like you. I know Melanie was a little hard on you, and I understand it. But I think you're a match made in heaven. Ted needs a strong woman, and I truly believe that you're it. He doesn't fall easily, that's for sure. He's kind of like me in that respect. I hope you two work out."

And then Ted Sr., walked out of the room. I looked at Teddy, and Teddy looked back at me. He and I just busted out laughing. Then we snuggled into bed together, and I drifted off to sleep, knowing that I was finally in with his family. And that was all a girl could ask.


	23. Chapter 23

**Quick A/N about next chapter: I needed to make something where Lila spoke. I'm making it a song chapter, because I think that it fits her character. So, ladies and Gentleman, I'm in charge of Delilah. She's my creation. Song is 'Not Ready To Make Nice' by The Dixie Chicks**

Chapter 23-Lila's POV

_Forgive, sounds good_

_Forget, I'm not sure I could_

_They say time heals everything_

_But I'm still waiting_

I looked at the paper and it was staring me in the face. The wedding announcement that wasn't shocking. Ted and Cheryl's wedding announcement. Must've been planted by the DiBiase's. I heard that Ted and Cheryl were in town meeting his parents. Who would've thought that Ted and Melanie would've announced their engagement that fast. But, who am I to judge. Cheryl isn't a bad girl, she's not. But when you love someone so much, you'd do anything to keep them, right? Well that's me. I'd do anything to keep Ted in my life, and I will, but Cheryl is the obstacle. It's like I can't get past her to get to him. But he's happy. I even can see that. Now, sure my actions are completely unforgivable, sure but I did everything for love. But then something happened. I met someone. Someone who wasn't afraid to try and get to know me. And then I wasn't so bent on revenge. But then it was like people were coupling up, and I had no one. So, I took this person down with me. This person who was a friend of Ted. Someone who'd been there for Ted this whole time. I turned him against Ted. Poisoned him against both Ted and Cheryl. And I'll never forgive myself. But then as John walked through the lobby, I watched as he blissfully ignored me as I waved to him. I stood up and walked over to him. He was standing at the desk, getting ready to check out.

"Hi John."

"Lila."

And right away, I knew that I had to make things better. I couldn't just pretend that I'd done his friends wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that.

"John, you have to know just how sorry I am about the whole thing with Cheryl and Ted. But lets be honest here, wouldn't you have done the same thing if it came down to it?"

And then he turned around and looked at me. Not looked, glared is more like it. He slammed his credit card down on the desk and shook his head.

"No, I wouldn't have done the same thing. Cheryl has been through a lot over the last three years, and the fact that fate had brought her and Teddy together was a beautiful thing. And now they're pregnant, and getting married. And you should leave well enough alone. It's a shame, though, because you're beautiful. And I felt sorry for you, but after seeing your attack on Cheryl, I feel pity."

And he finished his transaction and walked out of the hotel. I knew at that point, that whatever happened between John Cena and I, probably never will, because I had attacked the one person who was for the most part, adored in the backstage area. I took my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed a number. It rang twice and the voice answered.

"Hey, it's me. I'm ready to put our plan into action. One last time. Meet me at the airport in an hour."

And then I hung up. I needed to make one last plea to Ted, and then pray to god that he'd forgive me. I was going to expose Cheryl for the fraud she really is.

_I'm through with doubt_

_There's nothing left for me to figure out_

_I've paid a price_

_And I'll keep paying_

I made it to the airport and smiled when I saw him standing there. I knew that he'd be there for me, no matter what the cost. I hugged him and smiled as we walked to the ticket counter. He bought us two tickets to Mississippi, and we planned and plotted what we were going to do when we got there. I knew I was going to confront him over custody issues of our daughter. I wasn't going to give my daughter up without a fight, and I knew that the man sitting next to me wouldn't give up Cheryl without a fight either. Once the plane landed, it was then I made my phone call.

"Hello?"

"Ted, it's Lila. Listen, I know this is a bad time, because it's your wedding day. But I want to see Bailey."

"I thought you didn't want to be Bailey's mom."

"I do. God, I do. I know what I said, but I think it'll be good for me."

"Well, Cheryl and I are in Mississippi today. And we'll be here for the foreseeable future, so you're going to have to come here."

"That's fine. I'm actually on my way. So, I'll be there in a couple hours."

I said, hanging up. I turned to my partner and smiled. There was nothing that could wipe this smile off of my face. I watched as he looked nervous. In all the years I knew him, he never looked this nervous. He was sitting on a secret, I could feel it. And it was big. I turned to him and smiled warmly.

"Sweetie, you look like the cat who caught the canary. What's going on?"

"Cheryl isn't being honest with Ted."

He said, before covering his mouth. And right then I knew I had the ammo that I needed to bring down the happy couple once and for all…

_I'm not ready to make nice_

_I'm not ready to back down_

_I'm still mad as hell and _

_I don't have time to go round and round and round_

_It's too late to make it right_

_I probably wouldn't if I could_

'_Cause I'm mad as hell_

_Can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should_

"Spill it, Barrett!"

I said, yelling at him. He glared at me once, and I knew that he'd sing. He was afraid of me, and that scared him. I watched as he pondered over what he was going to say. With Wade, I had to be patient.

"Well, you know Cheryl can't have kids, right?"

"Lie, Wade. She's already pregnant. Nice try though."

"Listen to me, Lila. Adam told me he didn't know how she could be pregnant, because she got her tubes tied. So, either she lied to Adam about having her tubes tied, or she's faking the whole pregnancy angle."

My jaw hit the floor. I couldn't believe this. I had the ammo to potentially derail Ted's marriage before it even began. I knew what I had to do. I had to present this to Ted, without doing as much damage to him, as I could. Though it wouldn't be easy, because Cheryl meant so much to him. And I knew at that point it was do or die time. I had to confront him with this, but first, I had to find the proof.

_I know you said_

_Can't you just get over it_

_It turned my whole world around_

_And I kind of liked it_

My first phone call was to Adam Copeland. He wouldn't help me bring down Ted and Cheryl, and told me in no uncertain terms. Adam wasn't out to hurt her. I'd asked him about the tube surgery, and he told me it never happened. I wasn't going to let Cheryl off the hook like that. No way. He hung up on me. But I did have the city that the twins were born in. Toronto. That was a start. I called the hospital posing as a doctor for Cheryl digging for information, but because I didn't have the appropriate papers I couldn't get the information I wanted. I hung up the phone and thought about ways to burst into the wedding with the information I had.

_I made my bed and I sleep like a baby_

_With no regrets and I don't mind saying_

_It's a sad story when a mother would teach her_

_Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger_

_And how in the world can the words that I said_

_Send somebody over the edge_

_That they'd write me a letter_

_Sayin' shut up and sing_

_Or my life would be over_

I hope Cheryl hates me. I want to thrive off of something so wonderful. Her hatred for me, is equal to the hatred I have for her. She has the two things that I don't. Ted and Bailey. As we arrived at the DiBiase mansion, I was silently thanking Wade for the information he'd just gotten me. He'd gotten me access to Cheryl's medical records. Everything she'd had done in the last fifteen years. She'd gotten a nose job, and the surgery for me busting up her face. The birth of the twins, and a mystery surgery that was shrouded in secrecy. This had to be the jackpot right there! We got out of the car and I ran into the mansion at the correct time.

"If there's anyone here who can show just cause as to why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I can prove Cheryl's a liar!"

I said, holding up the medical file and making my way towards the front of the house. By the fireplace that I'd always stood. I watched the shocked and horrified expression of the DiBiase's, and Ted and Cheryl as I handed the file to Ted and he opened it, looking at his bride in sheer disbelief.

_I'm not ready to make nice_

_I'm not ready to back down_

_I'm still mad as hell and _

_I don't have time to go round and round and round_

_It's too late to make it right_

_I probably wouldn't if I could_

'_Cause I'm mad as hell_

_Can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should_

We were all in a private room, now. It was Ted Sr.'s office, and I was sitting at the desk while Ted Sr. and Teddy went over the file. I had triumphed. I'd gotten the one thing I had always wanted. I glared at Cheryl who was crying her eyes out. I looked at her and smiled.

"So, it looks like Cheryl's not pregnant."

"You're a lying bitch, you know that, Delilah?"

"Me? I'm not the one pretending to be pregnant!"

"I'm not pretending, Lila. I am pregnant. What you're looking at are my medical records, yes. But it only shows one pregnancy. Not two. Newsflash Lila, you're making me rehash this. About four years before I met Adam, I was raped. The rape resulted in a crushed pelvis. They had to go in and reconstruct it, and that was including the fallopian tubes. So, I'm what's considered an at risk pregnancy. I'm being watched all through it. So yeah, Delilah. You know my big secret now. Happy?"

Cheryl said, crying her eyes out. Ted went to her and cuddled her. I threw the papers down, and that's when I knew I was lost. I was done. Ted Sr. had stood up and looked at me, and when Daddy DiBiase speaks, it's final. I braced myself for what he was going to say to me.

"Delilah. You're a disgrace to the Foxwood name. Your father would be spinning his grave if he found out about all of this. It's over between you and Jr. so please, take the huge Brit that's in my living room and get out. Because I'm not having this. Cheryl hasn't given us any indication that she's a snake. You're the only snake here."

He said to me. And I was done. I couldn't believe this. I cried, and sent my apologies to them and hightailed it out of that house, and quickly. I had to learn how to forgive, but I just needed to sulk some more.

_Forgive sounds good_

_Forget I'm not sure I could_

_They say time heals everything_

_But I'm still waiting_

And I knew what I had to do at that point….swallow my pride and apologize. And I will…one day.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"You have to know, I don't give a shit what Delilah Foxwood says. I love you, Cheryl Canton. I chose you to be my wife, and the mother of my kids."

I said to Cheryl after the whole fiasco with Lila. To think, she'd expect me to care about Cheryl's medical history. I just wanted to make her a DiBiase. But Cheryl was panicked, because my mom still hadn't approved of us, even though my father did. I held Cheryl's hand in mine and looked at my dad. I kissed her softly and turned back to him.

"Dad, will you go and bring mother in here?"

"Sure son. Cheryl you okay honey?"

"Thanks Dad, I'm fine. And I want to thank you. My family is gone, and has been for awhile now, so you're like my dad. Thanks for expediting this for me."

He squeezed Cheryl's hand and walked out. She was sitting in a chair now, and I went to sit with her. She looked like she was lost deep in thought. Knowing my Princess she probably was. She looked at me with those hazel eyes and I was lost.

"What's on your mind, Princess?"

"The rape. It was so long ago, and I don't even really remember it, but it scared me. Do you know how hard it was for me to rehab from that injury? The subsequent pill addiction I had to overcome to get on with my life. Then Adam happened. Then Mari and Sunny. I've come full circle, and now I've got you. And I am the happiest I've been in forever. So, let's do this. Let's get married."

"As much as I'd love to do that…we have to confront my mother first. And then we can work towards becoming Cheryl and Ted DiBiase."

And then the door opened. My mom and dad stepped inside and closed the door behind them. She looked at Cheryl, then to me. Then she looked at my dad, and then back to me. It was more like glaring, than anything else. But before I could stop her, she unleashed on Cheryl.

"Do you see the drama you've brought to this family, Miss Canton? Do you see this? You are no good for Theodore, and neither are those demons you've inflicted on our family."

"Whoa mother, that's enough. The only drama that was brought here tonight, was by Delilah herself. And at least Cheryl loves me enough to want to put up with you. And if you call my stepdaughters demons one more time, I promise you that you'll live to regret that statement. Now, I want you to realize one thing. Cheryl and I are a packaged deal. I love her, she loves me. We are having a baby. One that we have recently discovered is a girl. Masen Leighanne. Our Masen. And I'm going to get married. And that's it."

I said, leading Cheryl out the door. Ted Sr. followed us out and I smiled and kissed Cheryl softly, and she patted my hand. Just before I started down the aisle, Adam came up to us and shook my hand.

"Ted, Sr. If it's okay with you, I'd like to walk the bride down the aisle."

I looked at Cheryl and she nodded. I kissed her softly and motioned for my dad to follow me. I hadn't forgiven Brett yet for the whole fiasco with Lila, so I hadn't asked him to be at the wedding. So, I'd asked my dad to be my best man. I took my place at the end of the aisle. Dad standing next to me, and Stephanie waiting for Cheryl to come down. Adam escorted her down the aisle, and we stood there, prepared to do this all again, this time without any interruptions.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to honor this man and this woman, Theodore and Cheryl, in holy matrimony. Theodore has asked us to say a prayer for their marriage. So, if I may direct you to your bibles and open up to the first book of Corinthians chapter four, verse thirteen."

And I watched as Cheryl's eyes widened and then softened. It was her favorite verse, and it summed up our relationship perfectly. So, we murmured the verse together, knowing we were being joined in love.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, thought like a child, reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I should know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

"And now for the rings. Do you, Theodore Marvin DiBiase, Jr. take thee, Cheryl Marie Canton to be your lawfully wedded wife. In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And do you, Cheryl Marie Canton, take thee Theodore Marvin DiBiase, Jr. to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"May I have the rings?"

I watched as Stephanie handed the ring to Cheryl, and my dad handed the ring to me. I looked at the minister, and smiled warmly at Cheryl. My beautiful Princess. I slid the ring onto her finger and smiled.

"Repeat after me, Theodore. With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed."

And then I slid the ring onto her finger. I kissed her hand softly, as she reached for mine. She kissed my hand softly, and slid the ring onto my finger and looked at the minister.

"Repeat after me, Cheryl. With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"Okay, well. If anyone here can show just cause as to why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Nobody said anything. Which was good, because we didn't need any more disruptions during this wedding. I didn't care who stood up, because we were going to proceed. We continued on.

"Then by the power vested in me by this great state of Mississippi, I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride."

Finally. This was the part that we had been looking forward to. Kissing Mrs. Cheryl DiBiase. And right then and there, I felt complete. We turned towards the crowd, and Adam brought Mari and Sunny over to us. We hugged them, hugged Adam and headed out. We were finally happy. We had finally come full circle.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Here it is…the final chapter. Everything will be tied up today! It's been a pleasure writing for ya'll, and it warms me everyday to know that there are people out there who read my work. I love the positive feedback. Keep an eye out on other stories that I come up with! I love you all so much, and please, keep reviewing! Plus, the name Kacie is a shout out to an old friend. A woman I've much respect for, and who always nurtured me! I know someone will pass it along to her! ;-)**

Chapter 25

One year later

"Mariah! Sunshine! Come on! Ya'll are going to miss your bus!"

I shouted up the stairs. We had relocated to Mississippi, and Adam was starting a new life in Canada with a wonderful woman named Kacie and they were raising their newborn daughter Grace. I was holding my daughter, Masen close to me and I walked into the living room where our daughter Bailey was sitting, watching cartoons in her pajamas. I walked over to her and ruffled her hair.

"Bay, honey. Come on, I've gotta take you to school in a few minutes. Go upstairs and get dressed. Please?"

"Yes mama."

Bailey said. She kissed me and went upstairs. So much had happened over the past year, it was crazy. Ted and I got married, and then our Masen was born. Then Lila signed over any custody she had to Ted and I. She knew that Bailey would be better off with us. And she was. We'd moved into our own house right after the wedding, and that's when Adam came to us….

**Eleven months previously:**

_We had finally just gotten settled. The move from Delaware to Mississippi was exhausting, but I couldn't convince him to come East with me. I was moving some things around in the kitchen when I heard a knock at the door. I put the napkin that I was wiping my hands on, on the counter and went to the back door. I opened it, and there was Adam. And he was standing there with Sunny and Mariah. After we exchanged hugs and Adam asked to come in, I sent the twins into the living room to play with Bailey. _

"_What brings you to Mississippi, Adam?"_

"_You. I have to talk to you, Cheryl. I've met someone."_

_I smiled. He'd had eyes for Kacie Cooper on my creative team for awhile now, but he'd never acted on it. I'd wondered if he'd actually acted on it. So, I poured him a cup of coffee, and myself a glass of water, and sat down._

"_Did you FINALLY get the courage up to talk to Kacie?"_

"_You know Kacie?"_

"_Kacie Cooper is my assistant, Adam. Of course I know her. And she likes you, Adam."_

"_I'm sure. Anyway, we've been going out for awhile now, and I think you should know that I am planning to ask her to marry me. And, this is so hard for me. I'm going to start a new life with Kacie, and as much as I want them, I can't take them. I am here to tell you that I want you to take the girls. They're my daughters too, and I love them. But you, you're their mother. You deserve to have them. You've grown up, a lot Cheryl. And I can't believe that. So, I want you and Ted to take them. Raise them. I'll come see them, when I can."_

_I couldn't believe this. I hugged him and kissed his cheek softly. He was doing so many good things for himself, I couldn't process this. We broke the news to the girls, who were both excited and sad. Excited because they were going to live with Bailey, but sad, because they were leaving Adam. Then I called Ted. He was on the road. So, I knew he was either driving, at the gym, or in the air. I knew he had a ten am flight from Jackson to Seattle. So I called him and let him know what was going on. And then I gladly took the girls from Adam…_

And that's how things happened. I watched as Mariah and Sunny came barreling down the stairs with Bailey in tow. I still had Masen in my arms and then I put her down in her playpen, before I sent the girls off to school.

"Now remember, Mariah your father will be on Skype with you and Sunny. So come right home after school. Bay, soccer practice is after school. Don't skip it! Your father should be home in time to pick you up, okay? I've got to take Masen to the doctor, so if I'm not here when you two get home, just stay here. No going to Ellie's like last time."

"Okay Mom!"

They said, as they ran out the door to the bus. I looked at Masen and realized just how lucky I was. I had four amazing daughters, a beautiful husband who loves me. I was getting ready to pour myself a cup of coffee when the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was him. So I answered it.

"Hi baby."

"Hey love. What are you doing?"

"I just got the girls off to their buses. Masen and I are just sitting here having coffee."

"Sounds nice. I'm running a little bit ahead of schedule."

I didn't know what that meant, running ahead of schedule but I figured he'd just be home that much earlier. I watched Masen get excited about something. I then felt two arms around my waist. I giggled and hung up the phone. He was home. And then I knew right there, that my whole life was complete. This moment in time, was the only thing I wanted. And nothing could stop us. And that's the way it should be.

-The End


End file.
